


The Demon Queller Chronicles

by chadmaako



Series: The Alexia verse [2]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M, No Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-02
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2019-11-08 04:59:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 77
Words: 301,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17974949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chadmaako/pseuds/chadmaako
Summary: The continuing adventures of Neo Knight and the girls from Demon Queller. Starting from Chapter 207 of Alexia The Vampire Slayer. Primarily original characters. Will have minor crossovers with Angel and Supernatural. Rated M for violence, adult language, and adult content.





	1. Chapter 1

Neo paced back and forth, excitement causing her to be restless. She couldn't wait until they were on the road. She stopped milling about and turned to regard the beautiful chestnut haired woman that had been sharing her bed for the past week. Ever since Talia had shown up, Neo couldn't argue that she'd been a bit calmer. The Watcher was smart as they came. She seemed to know just what to say and just what to do when Neo was in what the girls all called 'one of her moods'.

When Talia had suggested that the girls put together a tour, Neo felt dumber than a sack of hammers. And Cerri, being the brains of the operation, wasn't far behind. All of them felt kind of stupid for not thinking of it themselves.

But she supposed that was the point of a Watcher. Fresh ideas. Talia and Cerri both worked tirelessly with Rite in Point Defiance to get a schedule and some locations mapped out. They were going to be traveling down Highway 101 along the Oregon Coast, playing dates in the towns along the way. Cerri and Talia had been smart and made sure to book their shows a few days to a week apart as to not exhaust themselves.

They'd be able to patrol the towns and play their sets without having to worry about getting messed up and not having time to heal up properly. The woman was a genius, pure and simple. Neo grinned widely as she slept.  _She's a demon in the sack, too,_  the potential thought, lewdly.

A sudden blaring of an air horn rent the air. Talia shot upright in bed. “What on earth…?” She said, looking about groggily.

“No fuckin' clue.” Neo turned and looked at her alarm clock. It was just after seven in the morning. The girls didn't get back from their show until almost one. She quickly pulled on a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt. She tugged her boots on but didn't bother tieing them. “Someone's gonna fuckin' bleed for this shit.” She stepped over to the door and stopped, looking at the woman. “Best cover yourself up.”

Talia pulled the blanket up over her exposed breasts and nodded. Neo wrenched the door open and ran through the apartment. All four of the other girls were opening their doors as another blast of the horn sounded. “What in the hell is that?” Quan asked.

“Someone that better have their insurance paid up,” Neo said as she left the room, thundering down the metal staircase that led to the main floor of the warehouse. “Motherfucker wakin' us up and seven in the fuckin' morning. Bullshit.” She ran across the building and to the fire door. She unlocked it and threw it open…

To see Steele's big blue Peterbilt hauling a large flatbed trailer with two extremely large masses secured under a pair of tarps. The big redhead stepped out of the rig and dropped to the ground. “Sorry I didn't call first,” Steele said, smiling. “Left Point Defiance and realized once I hit Olympia that I didn't have my damn cell with me.”

Neo chuckled and ran over, throwing her arms around the woman. “That's alright. We forgive you.”

“Good to see you again, kid,” Steele said, happily. The rest of the girls finally managed to make their way down. “Good. Gang's all here.” Her eyes then settled on Talia. “Decided to keep you around, huh?”

The woman smiled. “They love my winning personality.”

Steele looked at Neo. “She's good in bed, isn't she?”

“Strip the chrome off your smokestacks, baby,” Neo said.

“Is that really all I'm good for?” Talia asked, a little indignant.

“You make a mean spaghetti,” Neo said, teasing. She earned a slap on the arm for her cheek. “Okay, okay. You're decent in a fight and if not for you, the girls probably would have tied me up and thrown me in the river by now.”

“I hear that. I don't get a good release now and then, I'm a total bitch,” Steele said.

“So what is this?” Cerri asked, looking at the trailer.

“Well, you guys are going on tour. Kat decided that you should be able to travel in comfort and style.” She moved around, removing the tie-downs that held the tarps in place. “We bought this a few months ago and don't really need it so…” She pulled the first cover off of the mass in the back of the trailer.

“Holy shit,” Quan said, stepping forward. The gloss black 1983 Chevrolet Scottsdale pickup glistened in the early morning light. It sported a massive push bumper with four KC lights, two above and two below the mid-bar. In the bed, a large roll bar was situated, with four more KC lights. The rig was lifted and had giant 44-inch tires underneath. “This isn't a pickup. It's a frickin' monster truck,” she said, dumbfounded.

“Don't tell me you don't love this thing,” Cerri said, giggling.

“I never said that,” Quan said, hugging the girl.

Steele pulled out the keys and handed them to the big woman. “She's all yours, beautiful. Try her on. She's a diesel rig, now so…”

Quan took the keys and climbed up on to the trailer, unlocking the door and sliding in. “Wouldn't be the first I've owned.”

“You girls may wanna back up a bit,” Steele said, moving back. “Bitch is loud.” Her point was emphasized as the large woman fired the rig up. The rumble was incredible.

“Jesus Christ!” Quan said as she revved it. She couldn't help but grin. “She's got a hell of a lot of power.” She shouted over the sound of the vehicle.

Steele made the motion to cut it. As Quan did so, she moved around to the other huge covered object. “This should make things a bit less stressful on the road, ladies,” she said, pulling the cover off.

They all stood staring at a beautiful 2014 Pinnacle Fifth Wheel 42' travel trailer. The paint scheme matched the truck, with the notable exception the words 'Demon Queller' painted gloriously across the front and back. “Home away from home,” Steele said.

“Oh…” “My…” “Lord.” Cerri, Neo, and Talia said respectively.

“Come on, Quan,” Steele said. “Help me get it hooked up to the rig and we'll pull her down so you guys can look it all over.”

After a few minutes of work, Quan powered the truck up and pulled the trailer off the flatbed and out into the parking lot.

“Come and inspect your new toys, girls,” Steele said.

The first thing Quan did was pop the hood on the truck. She looked into the engine bay and let out a whistle. “God damn. Took some serious shoe-horning to get that in there.”

The rest of the group moved over to look. Cerri, however, being the shortest of them couldn't see the engine. Neo bent down and lifted the girl setting her on the potential's shoulders. “Thanks,” Cerri said, happily.

“What the hell is that?” Neo asked.

“6.7 liter Powerstroke Turbodiesel. It's a Ford Engine,” Quan said, inspecting it closely. “What's it rated?”

“Four hundred and forty horses. Eight hundred and sixty-foot pounds,” Steele said. “Mated to an Allison transmission and a Ford nine inch rear end. Kat didn't sleep for almost three days putting this monster together. You can set it to rear or four-wheel drive.” She gave a wide smile. “I got to check it out. It'll roast 'em off in all six gears.”

“I bet,” Quan said. “It's gonna pull this trailer like it weighs as much as a box of feathers.”

“Yeah, yeah. The truck is nice. I wanna check out this trailer,” Neo said, setting Cerri back on the ground.

“Oh, she's nice,” Steele said. “Me, Max, and Shelby picked it out for you.”

Neo looked at her. “There isn't gonna be, like sex funk in here is there? I know you three bitches can't stop touching each other.”

“We washed the bedding,” Steele said. At the collected looks she got, she laughed. “No, we didn't get freaky in here. That's just fucked up to a level even I'm not comfortable with.”

The girls all stepped in and looked around. “This is nicer than our apartment,” Cerri said.

“It's got a ton of foldouts, too,” Steele said. “Queen size bed in front. Double bed in the back, there. That table drops to form another bed. The sofas both fold out into beds. All told, she'll sleep eight comfortably.”

“I like this kitchen,” Sadiira said. “Plenty of counter space.”

“So…” Quan began, leaning against the counter. “Neo, can you drive something this big?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Well, I was just thinking that you and Talia could cruise in this thing. I can bring up the rear with Cerri and the twins.” Quan bit her lip. “That's gonna leave my van here.”

“You don't have to worry about that,” Steele said. “If it'll make you guys feel a little better about leaving your shit, me, Max, and Shelby are willing to hold the fort while you’re gone. We'll kick it here and keep an eye on your stuff.”

Neo nodded. “I like the sound of that,” she said, happily. “When can you have 'em down here?”

“Couple hours, give or take. Max speeds like you wouldn't believe,” Steele said. Quan and Neo looked at each other and chuckled. “What's so funny?”

“Just remembering what I said to Max when I first met her,” Neo said. “I told her if she ever came to Portland, she'd be sent home in a box.”

“I'm assuming that isn't going to be a problem now, is it?” Steele asked, her voice carrying an edge of menace.

“Oh hell no,” Neo said. “Max is cool as fuck. I like her. She's welcome down here anytime. I tend to like people I share a stage with. Remember Faith's birthday party?”

“Best guitarist I've played with.” Sadiira offered.

“I'll give 'em a call,” Steele said, pulling her phone out.

“Let's start packing, girls. Our first gig is in Astoria tomorrow night,” Quan said.

 

The poppy techno beat sounded into the room. Alexia sat on the sofa in Kat's apartment and looked around. “What the hell is that?” She got up and started sifting around. When the lyrics started up, she grimaced. “Oh, Jesus.” She began searching in earnest. She was led to a pair of tattered jeans. “Fuckin' Max,” she said, lifting the phone. She hit the answer button. “Hello?”

“Hey, Lexi. Is Max around?” Steele asked.

“Probably asleep with Shelby on top of her.” The teen said. “Before we get into that, have you ever heard your ringtone on her phone?”

“Can't say that I have, what is it?”

“ _Can't Get You Outta My Head_  by Kylie Minogue,” Alexia said, snickering.

“You gotta be fuckin' kidding me,” Steele said. “That's just… _hurtful_.”

“Gotta admit, it's catchy,” Alexia said, trying not to laugh.

“So's Gonorrhea,” Steele said. “Wake her fuckin' ass up.”

Alexia pounded on the door of the girls' room. “Max! Phone call. It's your other girlfriend. So how do they like the truck and trailer?”

“They love it. Figured they would. They're leaving behind the van.”

“I figured if they'd leave anything behind, it would be the raptor,” Alexia said.

“Quan probably doesn't wanna put a shit load of miles on it, given how old it is.”

“Makes sense,” Alexia said as the door opened to reveal Max's naked form. “I told her what your ringtone was for her.”

“ _Enter Sandman_? What's wrong with that?” Max asked, taking the phone.

“It was  _Can't Get You Outta My Head_  just now,” Alexia said. “And she's pissed about it.”

Max furrowed her brow. “Faith!” She screamed. A soft chuckle could be heard from the bedroom. “I swear to God, I'm gonna drill into her head and make her think she's a smurf,” Max said, slamming the door. “Bitch.” Alexia heard her mumble. She turned back to the sofa laughing.

“Before you chew my ass, Faith changed my ringtone. Probably fucked with all of them,” Max said, moving over and flopping onto the bed.

Shelby hadn't moved a muscle and was still sound asleep.

“I heard.  _Enter Sandman_  is a good track. I won't rip you a new one for that. I need you girls to get on the road. We're taking over Portland while the girls are gone.”

“Fair enough. We'll be there as soon as we can,” Max said, ending the call. She reached over and patted Shelby's leg. “Get up, sleeping beauty.”

The girl stirred and pulled the pillow over her head. “Don't wanna. Early.”

“Yeah but we gotta hit the road,” Max said, gathering her clothes. “Come into the shower with me. Have a little fun.” Shelby groaned and threw the blankets off. Max stared at her and sighed. “God, you're hot.”

“So I've been told,” Shelby said, smiling. “I also got this really sexy girlfriend. She's blonde, short…” She grabbed Max's breasts. “Huge tits and a seriously nice ass.”

“Sounds like she's got it goin' on. I'd love to meet her,” Max said, pulling the girl in.

“Well, you can't. She's mine.” Shelby kissed her passionately. “But I'll tell her all about you.”

“Fair enough,” Max said, dragging the taller brunette into the bathroom.

An hour later, Max and Shelby were behind the wheel of Max's Ford racing south toward Portland.

Cerri sat with Shelby going over the system that she used. She pointed out all of the cameras and had even taken the liberty of putting small tabs under each that told her where each camera was located at. It was going to be tough going but Shelby was fairly certain that she would get the hang of it.

The twins went over every piece of their inventory with Steele. They made it explicit that she was the  _only_  person that was allowed to touch their toys. She assured them that she probably knew her way around their hardware better than they did. They then informed her that that was the reason she was standing near the arsenal in the first place.

Max was being given the defense layout of the building. It had a very high tech security system with a defensive perimeter that would make the building virtually impenetrable.

“Now, there is one thing you have to know,” Neo said as the girls finished packing the rigs. “The police will not respond to gunshots, explosions, or pretty much any kind of noise down here. So if for any reason, you need the cops, you  _have_  to call them direct.”

“Why won't they respond?” Max asked. “One would think World War three being waged down here would gather attention.”

“We worked out a deal,” Cerri explained. “The cops, by and large, know what we do. Most of them believe it. The Commissioner of the Portland PD let out a blanket order that unless a call comes in from our building direct, they're not to respond, no matter what. Only if we call 9-1-1 will someone show up.”

“It's more of a benefit than you think,” Talia said.

“We're ready,” Quan said, stepping over to the three of them. “Thanks for doin' this.” She shook each of their hands. “We should be back in about a month or so.”

“Take your time,” Max said. “We'll make sure we keep shit in check.”

“Have fun, girls,” Shelby said, hugging them all. She simply shook hands with the twins.

Steele pulled all of them in, regardless of what they tried to do. She even hugged the sisters. Both strangely warmed up to the embrace immediately. “Take care. Knock 'em dead.”

“Don't trash the place while we're gone.” Neo offered as she climbed into the Chevy with Talia taking shotgun.

Quan, Cerri and the twins slid into the Raptor. The pair of rigs pulled away, heading toward the coast.

The trio waved at them as they made their way. “Hope they have fun,” Shelby said. “This is gonna do them a lot of good.”

“Well, it'll do Neo a lot of good,” Steele said. She then turned to Max. “Now let's go fix what Faith did to your ringtones, shall we?”

 

Quan lead the way in the Ford, driving through the massive parking lot and finally coming to NW Front Ave. She took a left on NW Kittridge and followed it to Highway 30 where they immediately got stuck in traffic. “Wonderful,” she said, sighing heavily. “This is gonna be fun.”

“Look on the bright side. We're on a tour. We're finally getting exposure for our band,” Cerri said, cheerfully. “That's gotta be something to look forward to, right?”

Quan shrugged. “What is our first gig, anyway?”

Cerri pulled her tablet out. “Liberty Theater at eight o'clock. It's a small venue. Only six hundred and sixty-seven people. Not bad, though. It's an old-timey theater, too. Acoustics should be awesome.”

“We opening for someone or are we the headline act?”

“Looks like we're the headliners. Didn't expect that,” Cerri said. “There's a local band that's opening for us.” She sifted around a little bit. “Some 80's cover band that calls themselves Shining Wizard.”

Quan laughed. “The world's worst wrestling finisher.”

“Oh, come on. You know we've seen worse than that,” Cerri said. “Hulk Hogan's leg drop? How lazy is that?”

“True,” Quan said.

“Okay,” Sadiira said, from the backseat. “There are a lot of topics we're willing to listen to you two discuss. Cars, sex, music, these are things we can live with. But you will not, I repeat  _will not_  get into a debate about professional wrestling.” She looked at the pair of them. “Is that clear?”

“You watch it with us half the time,” Cerri said.

“Because I'm bored. Not because I enjoy it,” Sadiira said. “It's fake, it's hokey, and just plain out and out absurd. I'll grant that they're all great athletes but it's impossible to take seriously.”

“She's got a point,” Cerri said. “Okay, what do you two grouchy pusses wanna talk about?”

“Something other than wrestling,” Nadiira said, softly. “What are we likely to find in Astoria?”

Cerri shrugged and flipped through her tablet. She checked the town to see if there have been any strange occurrences. “Looks like…we might have a nest. A few unexplained disappearances in the last few weeks.”

“Can we tell how strong it is?” Quan asked.

“Not from this. We're gonna have to get the lay of the land first.” Cerri offered. “I'm already starting to build a profile. We should know more by the time we get there.”

“How can you build a…”

“I first check to see if there are any open suicides or homicides. Then I check the cause of death against known factors when vampires and demons are concerned. Lord knows we've seen enough of that. I then cross reference that with the missing persons cases. Location, time of day or night they were last seen…the rest is just extrapolation based on simulation software that I put together.” Cerri then shrugged. “Put it all together and voila! Cookies.”

Quan chuckled. “Sounds like you got it all in hand. Carry on.”

The girl settled in with her tablet and went to work. This was the part of her job that she loved. Because of data she was able to get, literally out of nowhere, her girls wouldn't be rushing into the situation blind. And that meant the world to her.

Neo sat with her hand on the wheel and her other hand on the shifter. The big diesel rig rumbled along evenly. Normally, she wasn't a fan of diesels, unless it was a semi like the one Steele drove. But when all was said and done, the Chevy was a pretty nice piece of machinery. They were currently doing sixty heading out of town, once they'd cleared the horrible Portland traffic, and she couldn't even tell she was hauling a forty-two-foot long fifth wheel. It was nice.

Talia shifted every so often in the seat. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't seem to get comfortable. “My kingdom for my old BMW,” she said, finally.

“What was that?” Neo asked, keeping her attention on the road.

“How can you stand sitting in these seats?” The woman asked.

“What's wrong with 'em?” The potential asked. She honestly didn't see the problem. They were about as comfortable as she'd expected them to be.

“They're hideously uncomfortable. My bum hurts and we've only been in here for a half hour.”

“Oh, right. You're British,” Neo said, snidely. “That explains it.”

“What has my being British have to do with anything?” Talia asked, a little incensed.

“You're just not used to American cars is all.” Neo offered. “Believe it or not, these are actually really nice seats. I mean, don't get me wrong, they're not patent leather and made from some sort of memory gel or whatever the fuck you find in most European grand tourers but they get the job done. Your butt just isn't used to it.”

“I'm not sure my bum ever will be,” Talia said, bitterly. “I much prefer the likes of a Mercedes or a BMW. Even the Jaguar is a better ride than this.”

“Well, yeah. But Jags are known for that shit. But something you have to think about. This is an '83. Take a ride in that Raptor sometime. That thing's a sofa with racing pedigree. It's got this thing by miles. Same thing could be said for old Jags, Beamers, and Mercs. The older the car, the worse the ride. An '83 of any of those years and you're looking at a ride that would be just as bad as this is.”

Talia wanted to argue but couldn't. She'd had a few cars in her life that were older and had horrible rides. So she decided to change the topic. “Why do you do this? Fighting monsters and demons? What's the real reason?”

“My dad,” Neo said, softly. “Most little girls grow up with dolls and toys around the house. I grew up with crossbows, stakes, and knives. My bedtime stories were tales of vampires and monsters. When the time came and he finally told me the truth, I was already desensitized to it. I wasn't afraid of learning that the beasts in the movies and on TV were real. He was always preparing me to take up the fight some day. I wasn't sure what his intentions were until he decided to hand me off to Reggie.”

“That must have been hard on both of you,” Talia said.

“It was. At first, I thought he was abandoning me. But as time wore on, I realized that what Reginald was teaching me was things dad never could. I wasn't just learning to fight, I was being educated on the supernatural as a whole. I was being taught the way monsters thought. Everything Reggie taught me created the girl you see now.”

“Your profile says that you fought and killed your first vampire when you were eleven years old.”

“It was the night of my eleventh birthday party, in fact. I punched a vampire in the balls and pushed him out the second story window into the sunlight. He caught fire and died.”

“How did you feel after that?” Talia asked, curiously.

“I wasn't really sure how to feel,” Neo said. “I mean, on the one hand, I was an eleven-year-old girl and I just killed a vampire. But on the other hand, I was just an eleven-year-old girl that had just killed a vampire. It was both exhilarating and scary all at the same time.”

“Nice to know you had the common sense to be frightened.” Talia offered, smiling.

“See, that's the thing.” Neo flicked her eyes to the woman. “That was the first and only time I'd ever been scared of a vampire. Or anything for that matter. Since then I've never been afraid of it. Can't really understand why. Now, instead of fear, I feel anger. I get pissed off at the vampires and demons that I come across. It's the damndest thing. It's like…”

“It's almost as if you feel the need to punish them for daring to exist in your world.” Talia finished.

“Yeah. It's a lot like that,” Neo said. After a beat, she looked at the woman. “Does that make me nuts?”

“No,” Talia said, smiling. “It makes you gifted.”

“Is that a really nice way of saying I'm retarded or something?” Neo asked.

“Let me put it to you this way. I know, full stop the reason why vampires, by and large, leave Portland alone.” As Neo gave a questioning look, Talia smiled. “It's the same reason why most low-level vampires won't go into a more powerful vampire's territory and begin running amok.”

“They know if they draw undue attention to themselves, the master will tune their asses up,” Neo said.

“In a nutshell, yes. You've gotten a reputation as being more ferocious, more fearsome than any vampire alive. Given that there are vampires out there older than most current civilizations, that is definitely saying something. Just uttering the word 'Portland' in the underworld conjures the image of the demon girl that has no conscience and will not hesitate to take her time and destroy vampires slow and methodically.” She chuckled. “I spoke with Reginald before coming here. You know what he said to me?”

“That I was a hard-headed bitch that never listened,” Neo said, deadpan.

“No. He said that you had more in common with demons and vampires than you do with humans.” Talia saw that Neo agreed with her. “What know you of a vampire named Angelus?”

“That he lives in Los Angeles and runs an Investigative Agency out of an office building. That he has a hot as hell receptionist and some wormy ass ex-watcher working for him.”

“What do you know of what he used to be?” Talia asked.

“He was a seriously evil piece of work. I know that if we met in a dark alley, I'd introduce his face to his colon.”

“What made Angelus so terrifying was that he loved torturing people for hours, days. Sometimes longer. All for entertainment. He would psychologically destroy someone just to watch them suffer.” Talia gave Neo a moment. “That's what you seem to do to vampires. You take pleasure in their pain.”

“I think watching vampires cry is hilarious,” Neo said. “I don't do it as often as I used to and nowhere near as often as I would like.”

“But that's the reason you don't get many vampires in this city anymore. It isn't that you'll kill them. It's that they're afraid you'll take your time about it and make them suffer in ways they couldn't imagine.”

Neo for her part chuckled. “And they'd be right. The vampires in Portland know it. Soon the whole state is going to know it, too.”

Talia sighed and shook her head. “You really are a violent little girl, aren't you?”

“And lovin' every minute of it,” Neo said, grinning ear to ear.


	2. Chapter 2

Neo raised an eyebrow as she followed the Ford into the Lewis and Clark RV park. “Really?” She asked, looking around. “How the hell did this happen?”

“What?” Talia asked, likewise taking in their surroundings. “What are you looking at?”

“We're really staying here?” Neo shook her head. “I gotta talk to Cerri.”

“What's wrong with it?” Talia asked her, not understanding. “It looks nice enough.”

“Oh, I'm not arguing that.” She pulled up to the office and waited as Quan stepped out of the Raptor with Cerri in tow. “I'm just not sure this is our kind of place.”

Talia wasn't sure what Neo was getting at, so she decided to drop it. Soon the pair came back out, waving for Neo to follow them as they rolled on. The potential put the truck in gear and did just that. They drove past expensive motorhomes and luxury travel trailers of every size and shape. “These are nice caravans.” The Watcher said, nodding. “That one's just like ours,” she said, pointing.

Neo cast a cursory glance. The woman was right. It was a carbon copy of their fifth wheel. The paint job was far more boring but it was still quite nice. She also noticed that everybody was staring at them with expressions ranging from awe to disgust. She chuckled. Being a complete attention whore, she liked it when people stared at her. Explains why she chose to be the lead singer of the band, despite being a damn good guitarist.

They slowly pulled up to the spot they were assigned. With a delicate touch, Neo backed the fifth wheel into the lot and shut the truck down. Given that they had the Raptor to drive around in, they wouldn't need to unhook the trailer from the Chevy. She climbed and looked to Cerri as she emerged from the Ford. “A fucking golf course, Cerri? Really?”

“It was either this or a twenty-minute drive to Warrenton.” The younger girl shot back.

“The first time we pump our sounds with any kind of volume,  _these_  fuckers…” Neo motioned around. “Are gonna be chomping at the bit to get us out of here.”

“We're gonna be here, what? Three, four days?” Quan offered. “Now quit your bitchin' and help me hook the camper up.”

Neo groused under her breath and did as the larger woman asked. In the span of a half hour, they managed to get the trailer hooked up to the amenities and the foldouts expanded.

They then sat about as the twins went about making lunch and discuss their plans. Cerri had her laptop out and her tablet sitting on the table beside it.

“So we know that there's a nest, right?” Neo asked as she leaned against the wall with her arms crossed. Cerri nodded. “There can't be very many places to hide in a town this size…”

The younger girl interrupted her. “There are nine cemeteries within a twenty-minute drive.” Cerri offered as she worked.

“Are you shitting me?” Neo asked.

“That's an awful lot of ground to cover,” Talia said, despondent.

“That's why I'm the brains of this outfit,” Cerri said, tapping a few things into her laptop. “Gimme a second,” she said. She pulled out a small Netgear box from her laptop bag and went about hooking it up to the 60-inch flat screen television in the cabinet on the wall. “Alright.” She tapped a few commands and a satellite map of Astoria showed up. There were several red dots around the greater downtown area. “These are all of the unexplained disappearances and unsolved homicides within the past two years. A total of thirty-nine in all.” She explained. “If you look closely, there's obviously a pattern.” She zoomed in and showed that the pinpoints all congregated around one graveyard. She highlighted the Greenwood Cemetery. “I'm betting dollars to donuts our nest is hiding somewhere in  _that_  cemetery. It makes the most logical and strategic sense.”

Neo moved over and inspected the image. “What's this, right here?” She asked, pointing to what looked to be a large dilapidated structure at the back end of the cemetery from the Youngs River.

“I'm not a hundred percent sure,” Cerri said. “Looks like an old caretaker's cabin.”

“Probably oughta check it out,” Quan said, shrugging. “Couldn't hurt.”

“Alright, we got a game plan,” Neo said. “Quan and I are gonna go and check the things out. Get a feel for what's going on.” She looked at Cerri. “Do they have surveillance?”

“No.” The girl said. “They're pretty backwater.”

“Alright. We'll take a few cameras with us and set 'em up on the hotspots,” Neo said.

“I'd like to come along,” Talia said.

Neo stared at her a moment and thought really hard about telling her no. She mulled it over a moment and nodded. “You're in.”

“Eat something before you go,” Sadiira said, handing her a plate of steak fajitas.

“Thanks.” The girl said, devouring her meal in record time.

Quan was a bit more ginger about it. As was Talia. Soon after they finished eating, the massive tattooed girl sat behind the wheel of the Raptor, heading north on Warrenton-Astoria Highway. “I swear to God, these roads,” Quan said, shaking her head. “It's like they let a bunch of chickens loose and just paved over wherever they ran. Barely a straight road in this town.”

Neo chuckled. “Remember Lakeland up near Point Defiance?”

“Well yeah but that made sense. There were lakes all over the damn place up there.”

“In this city's defense, rivers cut through like mad,” Talia said, from her place in the backseat.

“I suppose you got a point.” Quan conceded. She hustled across the bridge and pulled off the highway onto Fifth Street as the highway turned left. A few blocks later, she turned right onto the Nehalem Highway. “This should take us all the way to the cemetery.” She offered off hand.

“I really hope it's a nice sized nest,” Neo said. “Fifteen or twenty would go down real good right about now.”

“Are you insane?” Talia asked.

“You analyzed me,” Neo said, turning to regard her. “What do you think?”

“You don't want to know what I think.” The Watcher returned, smirking. “Suffice it to say your last psychiatrist went easy on you.”

“Oh, she could be plenty hard if I wanted her to be.” Neo shot back.

“There's something wrong you,” Talia said, chuckling.

“Just figurin' that out, are you?” Quan said.

“Shut up and drive, you,” Neo said, playfully. “I'm just really itching for a good throwdown. In case you ain't noticed, in the week you've been here, how many vamps have we taken down?”

“None,” Talia said, nodded. “I understand you're anxious but twenty vampires in a nest is a touch much.”

“Yeah, it is,” Neo said. “And it's gonna be dangerous as hell. That don't mean it ain't gonna be fun.”

“You're going to get yourself killed,” Talia said, her voice carrying an edge of sadness. Yes, she'd only known the violent potential a little more than a week but in that time she'd already come to respect her. She thoroughly enjoyed spending time with her. Despite what was believed, Neo was far more than just an angry teenage girl with a chip on her shoulder. She was smart, compassionate, studious, and monumentally protective of those she called friends. She was also a very, very passionate lover that made Talia truly believe that Neo loved her. Given that the potential never minced words and spoke her mind, it was fairly certain that the girl was already developing feelings for her.

Talia knew that it took time for a relationship to grow. She'd had people in her past that had occupied a special place in her heart. Given her vocation, such relationships were doomed to failure so she never allowed them to grow. It was a lonely existence that she was forced to live but it was also necessary. Since she was Neo's age, she'd been learning all there was to know about the supernatural threat. Back there and back then, she didn't have time for anything but her studies.

As soon as she graduated from the Watcher's Academy – and having shown a penchant for undercover work – she joined the Deep Cover unit and was sent abroad. Since then, she was forced to move from one mission to the next, using whatever means were at her disposal to accomplish them.

Now, things were different. Now, she was in it for the long haul. Neo was a young girl with a bright future ahead of her, if she survived her lot in life. And Talia was assigned to her long term. She'd be a part of her life until Neo parted the world or got tired of her and sent her home. She found herself desperately hoping that the young potential wouldn't be forced to do either.

She was shaken from her introspection as the large truck turned off the highway onto the dirt road, aptly named Greenwood Cemetery Road. Neo looked at the old sign as they drove past with a derisive snort. “How fucking creative.” She added.

“They're hillbillies. What do you want?” Quan asked as she clipped along.

“Takes one to know one, is that what you're saying?” Neo asked.

“I am  _not_  a hillbilly.”

“You were born in fucking Randolph, Alabama you hick,” Neo said.

“Fuck you, pissy britches. I was born in Greensboro, thank you very much.” Quan snapped at her.

“Oh, well excuse the fuck out of me. Population of three hundred and five, instead of three hundred even. My fuckin' mistake,” Neo said, sarcastically.

“Try nearly three thousand people, smartass.”

Neo chuckled and turned to Talia. “Fun fact. Greensboro also has more alcoholics per capita than people.” The Watcher giggled.

“Keep it up, slap nuts,” Quan said as they circled around to the broken down structure to the rear of the cemetery. “And I'll replace your KY jelly with Icy Hot.”

“I will fucking end you,” Neo said, stern-faced. “You don't fuck with a woman's sex.”

“Keep flapping those lips, sweetie, and you'll learn just how vengeful I can be,” Quan said as they pulled to a stop.

“Fuckin' all evil and shit,” Neo said. “You been hanging out with Alexia behind my back or something?”

“You never know,” Quan said, opening the door and looking at her. “Now zip your lip. Game time.”

Neo nodded and stepped out of the truck. Talia followed suit, with the black hard plastic case that housed the wireless cameras. “This place has seen better days.” Talia offered as she walked along behind the girls.

“Open that case for me,” Quan said, stepping over to her. The woman flipped it open and held it aloft. Quan pulled a camera out and switched it on. She then mounted it in a tree across the access road from the building. She pulled her phone out and dialed Cerri's cell. “You got the feed?”

“Gimme a sec,” Cerri said, tapping away at her computer. “Coming in now. Can you adjust it left a hair?” Quan did as she asked. “Yeah, we're good. I got the whole building and about twenty feet all around it. That's good. Do me a solid and give me one in the tree to your right. Otherside of that road.”

“I gotcha,” Quan said, grabbing another camera and trotting across the drive. She adjusted it according to Cerri's instructions.

“Alright. If anything comes in or out of that building, we'll know.” The girl said. “You guys gonna have a look around?”

“We should but we're not gonna dig around this place just yet. Let's see what the camera gives us, first,” Quan said. “See you in a bit.” She ended the call and made her way back to the pair. “She's got the feeds.”

Neo nodded and turned back to the house. The roof had caved in and left nothing but the walls. “Think there's a basement?”

“It would track. If the vampires are hiding anywhere in this cemetery, this is the most likely place.” Talia offered.

Neo looked around and furrowed her brow. “What's that?” She asked, pointing to a space in the trees to their right.

“Looks like…” Quan stepped closer. “Looks like a trail.”

“There was a series of buildings back there, according to the satellite image,” Talia said.

“Let's go ask 'em if they've seen anything strange out here,” Neo said, heading off.

“Jesus Christ, Neo,” Quan said, grabbing her arm. “This ain't Portland.”

“I'm glad you're here to tell me this shit, Quan,” Neo said as she turned and looked at her. “Cause for a moment there I was really fuckin' confused.”

“What she's saying is that you can't just walk onto someone's estate and broach questions like that,” Talia said.

“Why the fuck not?” Neo asked. “Pretty simple question. Hey, just out of curiosity, you ever noticed anything weird going on in the cemetery over there?” She shook her head. “Seems pretty cut and dry.”

“It's a God damn cemetery, Neo,” Quan said, rapping the younger girl in the back of the head. “Of course there's weird shit goin' on.”

“What's the worst that can happen?” Neo said, heading off. The other two shook their heads and followed her.

 

Quan was still chuckling as they pulled away from the cemetery. Talia was a little pale. Neo, for her part, was still angry as hell. “I can't believe that son of a bitch had the balls to put a shotgun into my face.” She let out a growl. “Fucker's lucky I didn't make him eat the God damn thing.”

“He did seem rather put off when you took it from him and tossed it into the underbrush,” Talia said. Her voice was still quivering a little. They'd knocked on the large trailer door and were greeted with a rather brutish man with a rather large pump shotgun. Neo had tried asking him questions but all he offered was the obligatory “Get the hell off my property!”

Then he made the mistake of drawing down on Neo. The girl was immediately enraged and disarmed him so quickly, he hadn't had time to register her movement…until he saw his weapon flying through the air to land somewhere in the bushes. Things took turn for the worse from there. Before Quan could intervene, Neo had leveled the man with a hard right cross that would shatter brick.

When the man woke up, he was going to be quite vexed.

“So what's the play now?” Neo asked.

“Hurry up and wait,” Quan said. “We let Cerri do her thing. Watch the cameras and see if we can shake something loose.”

“Sounds like a shitty plan.” Neo griped.

“Any time we ain't crackin' skulls, it's a shitty plan to you.” Quan offered.

“Don't you all have a sound check tonight, anyway?” Talia asked.

“Nah,” Neo said, shaking her head. “We've got it tomorrow afternoon at five. There ain't shit to do in this damn town unless you like fishing and golf.”

“I told Cerri I'd take her to the Maritime Museum anyway,” Quan said, looking at her watch. “If we hurry, it'll give her a little over three hours.”

Neo chuckled. “Well, have fun with that,” she said, shaking her head.

“Have you ever played golf?” Talia asked. “I mean real golf and not miniature golf?”

“Can't say as I have,” Neo admitted.

“Then how do you know you won't like it?” The Watcher asked.

“The same way I know I won't enjoy a hysterectomy with a dull rusty steak knife,” Neo said, shrugging. “Call it a hunch.”

Talia let out an exasperated sigh. “Okay, I believe I can say with a fair degree of certainty that golf is nowhere near as dangerous, painful, or blatantly stupid as a major vaginal surgery with rusted kitchen implements.”

“Funny,” Neo said. “With how boring golf is to watch, I'd almost prefer the surgery. At least it's more exciting.”

Regardless of how incredibly stupid the statement was…she really couldn't dispute the deduction. “Well, yes. I'll grant you that though golf is rather dull to watch, it is rather fun to play.”

“You really wanna get me on the green, don't you?” Neo asked her.

“Are you doing anything else?”

“She's got you there, Neo,” Quan said as the approached the golf course.

“Christ,” Neo said, shaking her head. “I will go with you to the driving range.”

“You don't want to…” Talia began.

Neo interrupted her. “Driving…range.” She repeated. “That is as far onto a golf course as you will  _ever_  get me.”

“Tell you what? We'll go to the range. If you can strike a ball further than me, we'll spend the rest of the evening doing what you want to do. If I win, you have to play the entire course with me tomorrow before your sound check.”

“You just been called out, grouchy,” Quan said as she turned the truck off.

“I'm gonna regret accepting the bet, too. I can already tell,” Neo said, climbing out of the car. “You're some kinda golfing prodigy or some shit, aren't you?”

“Actually no,” Talia said. “I've done a bit of putting but nothing extensive.”

“Uh-huh,” Neo said as they made their way into the trailer. “Anything?” She asked Cerri.

The girl turned toward her with a raised eyebrow. “Yeah. We've had the entire Vampiric Wars of 1412 break out in the Cemetery since you guys put the cameras up.” She shook her head. “It's been twenty minutes, Neo. Chill your biscuits.”

“See, now I want biscuits and gravy.” The potential said, moving over to get a can of soda from the fridge.

“Come on, Cerri,” Quan said, motioning the girl to come with her. “Let's go to the Maritime Museum before it closes.”

“Goody, goody.” The young teen said, sliding off the bench seat. “Lemme get my jacket and my camera.” She donned the matching leather jacket that all of the girls had and grabbed her digital camera. She took Quan's hand as they left the trailer.

“Those two are so cute, they're giving me diabetes,” Neo said, finishing her beverage and getting ready to toss the can in the trash.

“This is Oregon. You put that in the trash, I'm shooting you in the ass,” Sadiira said from her spot beside her sister. The pair appeared to be watching an old war movie. Neither was looking at her.

“Fuckin' creeps me out that you two can do that,” Neo said, dropping the can into the recycling bin. “Come on, British. Let's go crack some balls.”

Talia just giggled as she followed the girl out of the trailer. They made their way to the clubhouse and put down the money to rent two driving clubs and a bucket of balls. Neo swung her club about like it was a sword. The driver was sizable and had a good weight to it. She grinned as they walked along the path to the range. “I beat a Vahrall Demon to death with one of these,” she said, absently. “Made the fucker cry.” She trotted up beside Talia and turned, walking backwards. “Turns out, Vahrall demons have balls.”

The Watcher looked at her and shook her head chuckling. “You're terrible.”

“Yeah but that's why you like me,” Neo said, turning back around. They made it to their respective tees. “I already know I'm gonna suck at this.”

“You never really know, do you?” Talia said.

“Well, I know I hit hard enough that I'm never gonna be let back on the put-put golf course in Portland again,” Neo said, teeing up her ball.

“Why is that?” Talia asked as she likewise set her own ball up.

Neo ignored her and got into position. She eyed the furthest point on the range. It was a sizable piece of real estate, measuring four hundred and fifty yards at the net on the far end. She took a few practice swings and then let fly. The club hit the ball with a sharp crack. Pieces of the white outer coating drifted off into the distance as the ball shot away at breakneck speed. “Dammit!” Neo snapped as she reached for another ball.

Talia, not to mention several of the other patrons of the range watched as the ball screamed toward the back portion of the range. The large black and white '400 yards' sign shifted and fell over as the ball smacked into it loud enough to be heard at the tees. “My lord,” Talia said, turning to regard the girl.

Neo wasn't paying attention. She dropped another ball and was preparing to hit it. “Fuckin' cheap ass balls.”

“Neo, stop,” Talia said, resting a hand on her arm. “Do you know how far you just drove that ball?”

“Not very damn far. Fucker broke apart.”

“No, just a portion of it, dear. The ball itself, or the remainder thereof hit the 400-yard mark and knocked it over.” She pointed down range.

Neo looked and shrugged. “Huh,” she said, before lining up again.

Without warning, she felt someone step up behind her and wrap arms around her and place their hands over hers. “What you wanna do…” She heard a smooth male voice offer.

She took a step forward, spun and took his legs out from beneath him with the club. As he hit the ground, she had her foot on his neck and the club touching his forehead. “Motherfucker, do not ever,  _ever_  touch me.” She stared down at him. He was cute, she had to give him that. But she didn't really give a shit.

The manager of the range immediately ran over. “What's going on?” He asked.

Neo kept her foot on his throat. “This son of a bitch tried fucking groping me,” she said, angered.

Talia was so flabbergasted by the display that she wasn't sure what to say.

The young man looked at Neo – and saw how incredibly angry she was – then looked down at the man as he struggled to breathe beneath her boot. “Could you let him up, please?”

“That depends,” she said, regarding her captive. “You gonna keep your fuckin' hands to yourself?” He nodded emphatically. “Good,” she said, stepping away from him.

“Jesus, I was just trying to help.” He said, rubbing his throat. “Fuckin' bitch.”

She stepped up to him and stared him in the eye. “That's right, cum shot. I  _am_  a fuckin' bitch. Somethin' you should have thought about before you tried dry humpin' my ass. Now get the fuck away from me before I ram this club so far up your ass, you'd think you were fucked by a train.” She glared at him as he stepped away from her.

“Fuckin' psycho.” He snapped.

“And bloody fuckin' proud of it.” She shot back. In one swift motion, she spun and blasted the ball as hard as she could. Luckily, none of the plastic flew off. But the ball did impact the netting at the far end of the range and spun against it before falling to the grass. “Asshole.” She snapped.

“You win,” Talia said, moving up to strike. She hit her ball and got a reasonable two hundred yard with it. “And I for one am glad that you aren't going to be playing golf with me. I don't think the course would survive it.”

“Well, if that shit-knuckle is anything to go by, I can guarantee the other golfers wouldn't,” Neo said, cracking another ball, resulting in a hard bounce off the fallen-over sign. She teed up again and looked and noticed the older couple beside her staring at her. “Something I can help you with?” She asked. She desperately tried to keep the harshness from her tone.

“You remind us of our granddaughter.” The elderly woman said, softly. “She passed away about two years ago.”

“That sucks,” Neo said, honestly. “Guarantee I'm more of a bitch that she was.”

“Oh, she was a firecracker, just like you.” The man said. “What's your name, little lady?”

“Alice Frog, sir,” she said, offering her hand. “I am really sorry about your granddaughter.”

Talia watched her and was stunned. Neo was full of contradictions.

“Thank you, sweetie.” The woman said, hugging her. “You keep on being the free spirit you are. The world doesn't have enough girls that think and feel for themselves.”

Neo gave her a bright smile. “I will, ma'am,” she said, returning her hug. The pair left and the potential went back to driving the golf balls.

“You surprise me sometimes,” Talia said, shaking her head.

“Yeah,” Neo said, sighing. “Myself too.”


	3. Chapter 3

She awoke with a start. She turned and looked at Cerri as the girl stood, shaking her foot. “Get up. There's something you need to see.”

“Lemme get dressed,” Neo said.

“Yeah. Because I've never seen you naked before.” The young hacker said, leaving the room.

Neo chuckled as she slid to the foot of the bed, grabbing a pair of jeans, a change of underwear and a tank top. “You got some interesting video to show me?” She asked as she grabbed a can of soda from the fridge. She then saw the look on everyone's face. “What happened?”

“You might wanna sit down,” Cerri said.

“Okay,” Neo said, taking a seat on the counter. The young teen brought the footage of the night before up on the television. The imagery was a sickly green color, telling her that it was night vision. She saw what she expected to see. Figures coming and going from the old dilapidated structure. “It's a nest,” she said, nodding. “At least now we know. We'll take 'em all out tonight and have a little fun.”

“Keep watching,” Quan said, her tone a bit pessimistic.

Neo was a bit concerned and kept her eyes on the screen. Cerri sped up the video. At roughly three thirty in the morning, an old school bus with heavy curtains over the windows pulled up to the building. It appeared as if the entire nest climbed on board and pulled away. Cerri kept running the video until it stopped and showed them real time. “They never came back.” The girl said, looking to Neo.

The potential sat, staring at the screen, speechless. “No,” she said, softly. “No…fucking …WAY!” She finished with a scream. “They just up and  _left_?” She hopped off the counter and began pacing. “What kind of pussy-whipped, chicken-shit, cock-stacker, fucktard bullshit is that?” She looked at Cerri. “Which way did they go?”

“I don't know. I tried tracking the traffic cams but once they got south of the cemetery, I lost 'em.” The girl shook her head. “But it's not like there's anything we can do about it. We've got a concert tonight.”

“Motherfucker!” Neo said, rage in her voice.

“Hashtag Lame,” Cerri said, going back to her computer.

Neo felt Talia's arms wrap around her from behind. “Not right now, Talia,” Neo said, shrugging her off.

“Yes now.” The Watcher said, turning the girl around. She pulled her in and kissed her. “Right now.”

“I'm pissed off, okay?” The potential said. “I'm not in the mood.”

Talia took her hand and pulled her toward the back of the trailer. “Then I'll have to work twice as hard to put you in the mood, now won't I?” She then looked to the rest of the girls. “Why don't you lot go and get breakfast? Take your time. Bring back something.”

Cerri smiled and nodded. “Okay.” After cleaning up and getting dressed the four girls left and piled into the truck. Given that it was just after eight in the morning, there wasn't much open aside from the typical fast food chains. They saw a McDonald's, a Burger King and a Subway, just to name a few. “I don't wanna eat someplace that isn't kind of unique.” The girl said.

“What about this place?” Quan asked, pointing to Stephanie's Cabin Family Restaurant. “Seems decent.”

Cerri immediately brought up the establishment. “According to the website, it's got decent food and is worth the price, overall.”

Quan looked to the twins. They regarded her with a raised eyebrow each. “Right.” The big woman said, turning into the parking lot. “Why do I even bother asking you two?”

The girls climbed out of the rig and headed inside. They were seated so they could keep an eye on their truck. The restaurant wasn't very busy so ordering was a breeze. Cerri chose an omelet with ham, cheese, and green peppers in it. Quan ordered the country fried steak with eggs over easy. The twins both decided on a Rueben Sandwich.

The waitress brought their drinks and let them alone while they waited for their breakfast. “Neo's gotta be goin' out of her mind with this shit,” Quan said, sounding genuinely concerned for her friend. “She needed this fight something fierce.”

Cerri nodded. “I almost didn't wanna show her.”

“She would have killed you if she'd found out you withheld it from her,” Sadiira said, softly. Her sister nodded her agreement.

“I know,” Cerri said, her voice small. “I was actually scared of what she was going to do when she saw it.”

“She'd never do anything to hurt you, you know that,” Quan said, patting the petite girl's shoulder.

“I know that,” Cerri said, nodding. “Neo loves me like a little sister. She'll do anything to protect me. You all will. But she's just been so…so angry lately. More than usual. I'm really worried about her. Her blood pressure has to be through the roof.”

Sadiira shook her head. “Actually, it isn't. She has really good blood pressure. We give her weekly checkups.”

“Why aren't you two concerned?” Cerri asked.

“Because knowing Neo, she'll find a way to get her frustrations out.” The verbose sister shot back.

 

Neo lay on her stomach with her face resting on her arms. Talia sat across her bottom kneading the strong muscles on the girl's back. “I just hope this doesn't become a thing.”

“Heaven forbid.” Talia offered, light-hearted.

“Do I sound like I'm fucking joking?” Neo snapped at the woman.

“No. But I was. How long have you been fighting vampires?” Talia asked. “Actively leaving your home with weapons in hand  _hoping_  to run afoul a beast of the night?”

“Probably since a couple of months after my eleventh birthday. I patrolled the neighborhood around Reggie's house. Walking people home from the library or the store. Walking people to and from their cars. Shit like that.”

“And at that age, you were good at it?” Talia asked.

“I could hold my own. I mean I wasn't the baddest thing in the dark but I got by.”

“Even back then, did you ever come close to death? Were you ever nearly killed? Any extended hospital stays?” Talia asked her as she worked a hard spot just beneath Neo's left shoulder.

“Once. I was twelve. Vampire broke two ribs and collapsed my lung. I had to have my lung inflated and my chest wrapped. I was out of commission for like, three days.” Neo offered.

Talia stopped. “How old were you, again?” She asked, somewhat shocked.

“Twelve. I just said.” Neo returned. “Why does that matter?”

“You're telling me that you were only off of patrol for three days after surgery like that?”

“Doc said I should take it easy for something like…three weeks?” Neo seemed unsure. “It was something like that. But I just blew off his shit and went back out.”

“And you never suffered such again?” Talia asked her.

“No. I mean my shit was sore as hell and when I moved wrong, I nearly blacked out. But when the shit hit the fan and I had the adrenaline goin' I couldn't tell I was even hurt. I just got home, soaked in a hot tub and popped a couple of ibuprofen, naproxen sodium, or aspirin.” She shrugged. “I had to change it up whenever I needed to keep from building a tolerance to shit.”

The woman just shook her head but continued with her massage. “I want you to think about it. You've been actively hunting since you were eleven years old. A child, not even into puberty and you were going toe to toe with creatures that can rend steel and shatter stone with their bare hands. Did you ever have help?”

“Not really,” Neo said. “Reggie would come out with me on occasion but mostly I went by myself. I didn't do nests and shit until I was fourteen and even then, it was four, maybe five at a time. I didn't really bite off more than I could chew. The older I got, though the cockier I got.”

“Is that what led you to attack the nest that night?” Talia asked.

“Yeah, for the most part.” Neo sighed. “I didn't do my homework. Up until then, the most I'd ever taken on by myself was eight, maybe nine. But that nest…it was fucking huge. Must have been almost twenty vamps in that crypt.” She shook her head. “It was pretty fuckin' sobering, let me tell you.”

“Were you scared that night?”

Neo was quiet for a long time. Finally, she answered, “No. I know I should have been but I wasn't. I didn't wanna die. Not like that. Not like a rat in the fucking sewers.”

“Why did you run?” Talia asked. “Why not stay in the crypt and fight to the last?”

“I've been asking myself that for almost two and a half years,” Neo said, softly. “Something told me to run. I just…I got this feeling that if I ran, somehow, I'd survive to fight again. So I legged it.” She chuckled. “Turns out that little voice in my head was spitting it straight. I ran for a while in the sewers and met up with Quan.”

“From the sounds of it, the powers that be had plans for you.” Talia offered.

“Guess so,” Neo said, simply. “I just wish I didn't have this reputation. I mean we've only been in town one day and already the vamps took off.”

“Well, tell you what? We'll play the show tonight and after we'll climb into bed and let nature take its course.”

“Sounds like something I can grab onto. Maybe I can get Cerri to locate a back alley brawl or something. Some underground bare-knuckle action,” Neo said. “It ain't vampires but it's better than nothing.”

“You really want a fight that badly?” Talia asked.

“Put it to you this way, British…” Neo turned over underneath the woman. “I had sex with you right now, I'd hurt you.”

Talia leaned down and kissed the girl intently. “I just might let you.” She returned, smiling lasciviously.

 

The doors of the theater opened at six PM sharp. The girls were actually rather pleased to learn that the concert had been sold out. Doing the math, Neo realized that at the girls would be pulling in a little over nine thousand dollars for the night. It was the most profitable show they'd ever played.

Shining Wizard, a five-piece band of high school kids took the stage at six thirty. The girls sat in the dressing room, prepping to take the stage. They were ecstatic to learn the Rite had put a shout out on the website in every city the girls were scheduled in for some roadies to help set up their equipment. That allowed them to concentrate on getting their look just right.

“This is the biggest show we've ever played,” Neo said as she leaned forward, doing her makeup. She applied eyeliner, a hint of dark eye shadow. She then added a hint of blush and some bright red lipstick. She'd washed her hair and let it dry naturally, giving it that 'just fucked' look to it. Her role in the group was the 'slutty wild girl'. Her clothing, consisting of skin-tight leather pants with laces up the sides of the legs, a black leather bustier and high heel boots that came to her knees portrayed the image in grand fashion.

Quan sat beside her, likewise meticulously working. “I know. I'm kinda nervous.” Like Neo, she did the eyeliner, eye shadow, and blush. She went with paler colors that accentuated her natural skin tones rather than contrast with them. She was sort of the odd duck when it came to the roles of the band. Hers was the 'biker bitch slash southern girl next door' shtick. Tonight she'd decided on a pair of tattered jeans with strategic tears along front and back of the legs, a half-tee with a pair of heavy black army boots. Her skin art was all on proud display, as was her massive, heavily muscled arms.

“No reason to be nervous sweetie,” Cerri said as she applied her own makeup. She wore very little, to be honest. Cerridwen was the bands resident 'lolita' character. She wore a Japanese school girl outfit, complete with bowtie and shiny dress shoes. Her hair was pulled up and tied into a pair of pigtails that hung to her shoulders. “This isn't any different than any other concert we've played. We just go out and do what we do best.”

Sadiira and Nadiira both were the token 'badass' girls. They both donned black fatigue pants and camouflage tank tops with army boots. For makeup, they went with standard dark eyeliner and lipstick but nothing else. Having mocha colored skin, they didn't see the point. The pair made great lengths to be indistinguishable from each other and that extended to their on-stage personas. “This is the second best thing we do,” Sadiira said as she added the finishing touches.

Talia watched the group and could see that they were quite professional about what they did. She turned to the monitor in the room and watched as Shining Wizard finished their forty five minute set. “How long do you girls intend to play?”

“We usually like to give our crowds four, maybe five. Not counting intermission,” Neo said. She turned to Quan. “Remember that all-nighter we pulled at Holocene?”

“That was so damn fun.” The big woman said.

“You played all night?” Talia asked. “From when to when?”

“We hit the stage at seven and played till almost five in the morning,” Cerri said. “We took breaks every couple of hours. They stopped serving alcohol at two, like normal but people just didn't wanna leave. The club manager let the party go on and we just kinda never stopped. That was about five or so months ago. It was pretty awesome.”

“We were exhausted afterward but it was worth it,” Sadiira said.

There was a knock on the door of the dressing room. Talia moved over and opened it. A man with a headset and a clipboard leaned into the room. “You guys are on in five.”

“Thank you,” Talia said, smiling at him. She shut the door and turned to the girls. They all rose to their feet. They looked every bit like a rock band. She chuckled and pulled her phone out and snapped a photo. “Perfect.” She stepped up to Neo and kissed her passionately. “Knock them dead.”

“I would have but the fuckers left town.” The potential said, giving her smirk. “I'll just have to settle for blowing these poor bastards' eardrums out.”

She hugged each of the girls as they walked past to take the stage. She followed them and stood off to the side as they took their positions. Cerri climbed behind the  _enormous_  drum kit and lifted her sticks. She spun them in her hands to limber up. She adjusted the microphone a little closer and looked everything over, nodding. Talia could see the large coffee-can filled with extra sticks beside her on a stool. It was obvious the girl went through them like crazy.

Quan thumped out a quick bassline and nodded before plugging in. The guitar hung low on her massive frame.

Sadiira, like her larger bandmate, had her own guitar slung down low. Talia knew for a fact that Sadiira had the kind of fingers on the guitar that would make most speed-metal strummers jealous. She could play virtually anything by ear alone and was a prodigy with strings. She and Quan did have a rather significant bone of contention when it came to guitars. Quan favored the Ibanez, while Sadiira swore by her Gibson SG's. “If it's good enough for Angus Young, it's good enough for me.” The smaller girl said. Her sister, though she favored the keyboard and worked the rhythm guitar on some of their tracks, agreed with Sadiira.

Talia was actually excited. She peeked out into the crowd from behind the curtain as the girls readied themselves. The gathering was eager.

The girls all gathered around the drums and whispered amongst themselves then nodded. They moved back to their marks. Nadiira stepped away from the keyboard with a guitar that matched that of her sister.

The curtain rose and Cerri grinned widely. In her cutest most innocent voice said, “When I grow up, I wanna be a rockstar.” She then immediately began pounding the ever loving shit out of the giant drum kit. A few seconds later, Quan and both Rajni sisters let out with their guitars. Neo gripped the microphone and began belting out the first song of the night.  _We're An American Band_ , originally cut by Grand Funk Railroad, then lovingly reimagined by Rob Zombie, now covered by the girls of Demon Queller filled the theater.

The crowd went absolutely bananas. No one was sitting down. Talia had been to concerts before. She'd been in the audience when those first powerful chords tore the air. She knew that first shot of adrenaline well. But for some reason, it was different from where she was standing. She could see firsthand how the crowd's responses fueled the girls on the stage. Neo pulled the microphone off the stand as Sadiira went into her solo did something that made Talia actually giggle like a schoolgirl. It solidified that Neo took inspiration from one of the greatest classic rock bands of all time.

The girl let the microphone slide from her hand, catching it by the cord and swung the implement rapidly by said cord. She then yanked the line, snatching the mic and continuing her aggressive vocals. Talia could see a few older patrons of the crowd recognized the display for what it was and cheered happily.

The tone quickly shifted as the girls played a song of their own making. Talia had heard them play it before in practice. It was aptly named  _Warrior's Soul_ and it was almost a self-tribute. A song that spoke of themselves. They were warriors to the core and always would be. It was a very true to life representation of the girls and what they struggled through to be where they are. Each of them had faced personal tragedy and the song spoke to that. It illustrated that, though the world would believe them beaten and broken, as most people would have been, they rose against the odds.

Five girls from various corners of the world, finding each other, drawing strength from one another, becoming one of the most dangerous forces the supernatural had ever seen.

And so it went. Demon Queller gave everything they had to the fans. They interspersed a few covers here and there but did a good deal of their own work.

After the first intermission, a little over an hour in, Neo again took center stage. “You guys have no idea what this means to us.” She began, holding aloft a large bottle of water. “A bit of toast to the fans. Without you, we wouldn't be here.” The crowd cheered. “We're gonna do somethin' we've never done before. A week or so ago, we had a new addition to the family.” She saw the shocked expressions and laughed. “I really should have phrased that better. We had a friend arrive from England.”

Talia's heart dropped into her stomach. “Oh no,” she said, softly. She suddenly figured out why the girls, on a whim, had her play her violin with them during the sound check.

“She's a bit shy but we want you all to meet her. Are you all cool with that?” The crowd clapped and whistled. “Her name's Talia. She's brought a bit of culture to our hardcore playground.” She turned to Talia and motioned her to come out. “Don't be shy. Come say hi to the people.”

The Watcher realized she'd been had, big time. “Oh, I'm going to kill her for this.” She took a deep breath and stepped out onto the stage amid the applause and catcalls. She waved at the crowd as she walked over to Neo. The potential draped an arm around her shoulders. “I'm going to get you for this,” she said, quietly.

“I'm sure you will,” Neo said, kissing her on the cheek. “But not tonight.”

“She's a hell of violist. What do you say?” Neo said. “You wanna hear her jam with us?” The result was an overwhelming yes. She turned to Talia. “What do you say? A little  _Devil Went Down to Georgia_  dear Talia?”

“I like that song,” Talia responded. She moved over and pulled out her violin and moved closer to the microphone. “But the name…” She lifted the violin up to her chin. “Is Johnny.”

Cerri pounded out the beginning as Talia opened up with her violin without missing a beat.

Neo smiled as the rest of the girls went for broke. “The Devil went down to Georgia. She was lookin' for a soul to steal. She was in a bind 'cause she was way behind. She was willing to make a deal. When she came across this young girl sawin' on a fiddle and playin' it hot. And the Devil jumped upon a hickory stump and said: “Girl, let me tell you what.” The crowd cheered at the prospect of a female devil. As far as Neo was concerned, it was apt. She turned to Talia and began walking silkily around her, strutting as she did so. “I guess you didn't know it but I'm a fiddle player, too. And if you'd care to take a dare I'll make a bet with you. Now you play a pretty good fiddle, girl but give the Devil her due. I'll bet a fiddle of gold against your soul, 'cause I think I'm better than you.”

Talia snatched the microphone from Neo's hand and began strutting around her. “The girl said, 'My name's Johnny, and it might be a sin but I'll take your bet, and you're gonna regret because I'm the best there's ever been.” She then tossed the mic back to the girl with a smirk. Neo was proud as hell. Talia was reveling in her part. She put the microphone back on the stand.

The rest of the girls sang the chorus as the pair stared each other down. Neo backed away and pulled a guitar out of the case sitting to the side. “Johnny, rosin up your bow and play your fiddle hard. 'Cause Hell's broke loose in Georgia and the Devil deals at cards. And if you win you get this shiny fiddle made of gold. But if you lose the devil gets your soul.”

Neo strapped on the white flying V guitar. “The Devil opened up her case and she said, 'I'll start this show.' And fire flew from her fingertips as she rosined up her bow. And she pulled the bow across the strings and it made an evil hiss.” She dragged the pick across the strings of the guitar, letting out a brutal screech. “And a band of demons joined in and it sounded something like this.” Quan thumped out the bassline as Sadiira snapped the short chords.

Neo stared at Talia with a grin before she began grinding out the lilting somewhat dirty solo that brought to mind images of the darkness and everything that lived there.

Talia stepped up to the mic, chuckling. “When the Devil finished, Johnny said, 'Well, you're pretty good ol' mum. But sit down in that chair right there and let me show you how it's done'.”

The girls piped in with the second chorus. “Fire on the mountain, run boys run. Devil's in the house of the rising sun. Chicken in the bread pan, pickin' out dough. Granny does your dog bite, no child, no.”

Talia, for her part, worked her violin like a master. For her entire life, she'd played the instrument. She'd even given up the idea of joining the London Philharmonic Orchestra to continue her Watcher training. Now, on stage, she was demonstrating why she was courted by them in the first place.

When she finished her part, Neo again moved up to the microphone, pulling her guitar off. “The Devil bowed her head because she knew that she'd been beat. And she laid that golden fiddle on the ground at Johnny's feet.” Neo moved away, looking crestfallen.

Talia took up the stand, grinning. “Johnny said, 'Devil, just come on back if you ever want to try again, I've told you once, you son of a bitch, I'm the best that's ever been.” She struck up the solo again, dancing about the stage, enjoying the hell out of herself. The girls finished the song as she played it out.

The crowd was nearly deafening. Talia waved as she left the stage. Neo put her guitar back into the case and set it aside. “Talia Turner, ladies and gentlemen.”

It was nearly midnight when the girls finally called it quits. They hit the stage at eight sharp. They were exhausted but were fueled with adrenaline. They even sat on the edge of the stage and signed autographs to any who wanted them.

It was after two when they got home and collapsed in their beds. Neo had thought she would be angry and wired after the show. But as she lay with Talia in her arms, she was content. “You did good tonight,” she said to the woman.

“It was fun. But I couldn't do it all the time. I don't know how you girls do it.” Talia offered.

“Devotion to the fans, I guess,” Neo said. “Let's just hope a good concert performance isn't all that's waiting for us in the next town.”

Talia lifted her head and stared at Neo. “What a shame that would be.” Her hands began moving over the muscular frame of the potential.

“Yeah. What a shame.” Neo returned.


	4. Chapter 4

Neo sat behind the wheel of the Chevy and rumbled along behind the blue Ford, heading south along Highway 101. Talia sat beside her in the passenger seat, enjoying the scenic view. “It is quite breathtaking.” The woman said.

Neo cast a quick glance and shrugged. “It's alright.”

“How can you see that and not feel something?” Talia asked her.

Neo raised an eyebrow. “You live your life staring at that view, it ceases to be awesome. You forget I've driven this road hundreds of times. It was pretty the first two, three dozen times you see it. After that, it's just 'hey look. Ocean. Cool'.”

Talia had to concede that. Downtown London was a rather spectacular mixture of old and new architecture but to her, it was just a city. Sights seem less magnificent the more you see them. “Well, I still think it's beautiful.”

“Not arguing that. It's fuckin' gorgeous. But it isn't the thrill it used to be,” Neo said. She looked at her gauges. Her stomach growled. “Fuck, I'm hungry.”

Talia looked at her. “How far until our next town?”

“I don't know. 'Bout thirty miles or so,” Neo said. She reached over and tapped the hands-free.

“What's up, Neo?” Cerri asked.

“We're stopping for food.” The potential said, matter-of-fact. “I'm about to start gnawing on my Watcher here in a minute.” Talia sighed and shook her head.

“You didn't get enough of that last night?” The younger girl returned with a chuckle.

“Funny fucker, aren't you?” Neo shot back. “Find us a place for something to eat. And not a Goddamn AMPM.”

“We could go for some grub,” Quan said. “We'll find a place.”

A few minutes later, the group was driving through the small town of Nehalem, OR. It was typical as far as quaint little coastal towns went. Kitschy shops lined the streets side by side with small boutique eateries. Neo looked side to side and saw a place that looked like her cup of tea. “There we are,” she said, nodding. She tapped the hands-free again. “Bayway Eatery to the left.”

“Looks good,” Quan said. “Looks like a spot to park the trailer beside it, too.”

Neo pulled up and cranked the wheel to the left, pulling the massive fifth wheel into the lot beside the restaurant, doing her best to leave room for people to park, should they need to. “That should be good,” she said, shutting the truck down and climbing out. “God, I'm hungry.”

Quan parked the Raptor across the street and piled out with the other three girls. She made sure to lock the rig up. They entered the restaurant as a group. “Smells good in here.” Quan offered. To the right of the front door was a lounge of some sort. Being just after twelve on a Saturday afternoon, it wasn't exactly filled to capacity. They did, however, see a few folks with a beer in front of them watching the television. “God. How people can booze up this early is beyond me.”

Neo cast a sideways glance and turned to the left, toward the restaurant. “People who drink this early in the day are basically saying 'fuck my liver'.” They stepped in and waited to be seated. The room looked nearly full of guys ranging from their early twenties to their fifties. Nearly every one of them was wearing a baseball cap with diesel manufacturers, heavy equipment manufacturers, or tractor manufacturers on them. The entire room turned to them as they stood waiting. “Christ,” Neo said. “Now all we need is fuckin' dueling banjos.”

“Jesus Christ, Neo.” Quan hissed at her. “You wanna start a fight or something and I should really fuckin' think about who I'm talkin' to.”

The potential just chuckled. A pretty blonde waitress in her mid-twenties named Rachel stepped over with a handful of menus. “If you wanna follow me, I'll get you seated.”

Neo watched the girl's ass as she walked. “Nice,” she said, nodding.

“Quite,” Talia said in agreement.

“Would you like a table or a booth?” Rachel asked.

“You mind if we push a couple of tables together?” Quan asked her.

“Not at all.” The woman said, smiling. Neo and Quan quickly stepped to the side, scooting two of the tables snugly together. They then took their seats and started looking over the menu. “Start you all off with something to drink?” She asked, pulling her order pad out.

Neo ordered a coke, Quan and Cerri both settled on Sprite. Talia asked for iced tea while Sadiira ordered Dr. Pepper for both her and her sister.

“I'll go ahead and get your drinks and give you a minute to look everything over,” she said, moving off.

Neo already knew what she wanted and set her menu down. She looked around the room, taking in the establishment. For some reason, it reminded her of the kind of place you always saw in the movies. It was somewhat dark and had a kind of speak-easy feel to it. She cast quick glances at the patrons and stopped when she saw a group of men that looked like they were straight out of a Burt Reynolds movie. She made eye contact and raised an eyebrow. She knew what they were looking at. Given that she was wearing a thin black tank top with a sports bra and a pair of cargo pants that rode low on her hips, it wasn't really that much of a surprise. Quan was dressed pretty much the same with the exception that her tank was army green and her pants were jeans that molested her ass. The twins were wearing t-shirts and black cargos and Talia was clad in a pair of jeans much like Quan's and her shirt was an understated navy blue blouse that showed a nice amount of cleavage. The only one of them dressed conservatively was Cerri. The girl wore a simple pleated skirt with bike shorts underneath and a sleeveless t-shirt with Sailor moon on the front.

The four of them continued to stare. Neo finally tired of it. “You keep undressing us with your eyes, boys I'm gonna start charging you money.” She snapped. “Turn the fuck around.”

The men glared at her, then slowly turned around, shaking their heads.

“That was rather crass, wasn't it?” Talia asked her, quietly.

“I don't give a fuck. It ain't like the motherfuckers never seen a fuckin' girl before. They wanna check us out, that's fine but don't stare like creepy fuckin' rapists and shit,” Neo said. She made no attempt to hide her disdain. People staring at her while she ate was one of her biggest pet peeves.

Rachel could feel the tension at the table and did her best to ignore it. “You all decided what you wanted?” She asked, forcing a smile.

Neo chose a double bacon cheeseburger with seasoned steak fries. Talia asked for a chef salad with blue cheese dressing. Quan and Cerri both went with the club sandwich, also with fries. The twins both asked for turkey melts with side salads. She quickly gathered the menus and was off, leaving the girls to chat amongst themselves.

Talia reached over and took Neo's hand. “Are you alright?”

Neo looked surprised by the question. “Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?”

“You just seemed so… _angry_.” The Watcher said, concern in her voice. “I'm just wondering if there was something that frustrated you.”

“No, that's just Neo,” Quan said, fiddling with the table setting. Cerri rose and moved over to the Jukebox against the back wall. Quan watched and chuckled.

Neo saw it and sighed. “God, please don't let her play anything from Aqua.”

“That ain't all she listens to, you ass,” Quan said, watching her girl. Currently, the music maker was pumping out a forgettable country and western tune. Cerri pulled a couple of quarters out of her pocket and slid them in, tapping her selection. Suddenly  _Burn It To The Ground_  by Nickelback began pumping from the box.

Cerri nodded and began dancing her way back to the table. Quan laughed and turned to Neo. “How's that?”

The potential nodded. “I can get behind this.” She bobbed in her seat to the music. Rachel returned with their meals and the girls ate as they listened to the music and made pleasant small talk.

“So where is our next show again?” Neo asked Cerri.

“Tillamook High School Auditorium. A smaller venue than last time but it should still be a good turnout.” The teen said, looking at her cell phone. Cerri chuckled as she nodded toward the four men at the table. “Your admirers are staring again.”

Neo turned around and looked at them. “You fuckers got a problem?” She asked, sharply. The men continued to stare. It was obvious they weren't happy about being spoken to in such a manner. Neo, for her part, couldn't bring herself to give a shit what they thought. “I better not get to three.”

Talia leaned over to the girl, resting a hand on her arm. “Just ignore them.” The Watcher said.

“Oh, shit,” Quan said, sighing. A heartbeat later, a shadow loomed over the table.

They'd all decided that staring from afar wasn't cutting it. “You know…” One of them said. Neo turned to regard him. He was wearing a green John Deere hat and a blue and red flannel shirt. He looked like the quintessential redneck, complete with beard and mustache. “Where I come from, girls like you know to keep their mouths shut.” His partner, a beefy looking man in a black Harley Davidson t-shirt with an 'Intimidator #3' baseball cap nodded.

“Boys, do yourselves a favor and just go back to your table,” Quan said. “You really don't wanna piss her off.” She looked at Neo and saw the girl slowly starting to grin. “Oh, fuck me.”

“How about you mind your own business?” Number 3 said, snarkily.

“Don't talk to her like that.” Cerri snapped.

The big man looked at her. “What are you gonna do about it, bitch?”

Cerri moved to get up but was stayed by Quan's big right hand. “Get the stun gun.” The larger girl said, quietly.

“I left it in the truck.” The teen said, sheepishly.

“What do you mean, you left it in the truck?” Quan whispered harshly. “You never leave it in the truck.” She motioned to the group. “What's to stop her from killing these guys?”

“She knows how boring prison would be,” Sadiira said, still eating. “At least after she beat the shit out of all the big Berthas in the cell block.” Nadiira was ignoring the whole event.

Quan nodded. “Eh, fair point.”

Talia looked at the girls and back to the four men. She could tell the men were slightly inebriated. She reached over to her potential. She could see that Neo was itching,  _begging_ for this fight. “Neo, it isn't worth it.” She desperately did not want the girl getting in trouble.

Neo turned to regard her. “Yeah. It is,” she said, rising to her feet. “This is the only warning you ass-hats get. Go back to your table, sit the fuck down and stop staring. I get to three, shit gets wrecked.” She stared at them, flexing her wrists. “One.”

“Two.” John Deere said, getting in her face. Intimidator stepped up beside him.

“Three,” Neo said. “But not in here. I'm not getting blood all over these nice people's restaurant.” She cocked her head. “You four chicken shit motherfuckers got the balls to take this shit outside?”

John looked her up and down. “You got brass, girl. You wanna try us on, let's do this.”

“Rachel. Bring us some to go boxes,” Neo said. “Let's go, tough guy.” She looked at them with a smirk. “You and your girlfriends. I ain't brought a good ass-whuppin' in days and I want my money's worth.”

The four of them exited the restaurant with her right behind. Quan sighed and began loading her sandwich in the to go box. Rachel stood staring after the five of them. “Does she really intend to fight with all four of them?”

“Yes, she does,” Sadiira said, likewise putting her food away. “Don't call the police. They'll just end up getting hurt. Or they'll end up having to shoot our friend.”

“Can't they just taze her?” The waitress asked.

“Been tried,” Cerri said, putting her sandwich in the box. “She doesn't go down when they do that. It just makes her mad. No, best let her get it out of her system. She won't kill them. She'll just smack 'em around a bit. They'll be fine.”

Talia scooped her salad into the Styrofoam container and rose from the table. “Thank you for the meal. Sorry about all of this.” She pulled four twenties out of her pocket and handed them to the woman. “That should cover everything and give you a healthy tip. Have a nice day.”

The girls all left and moved around to the parking lot beside the restaurant. Neo stood grinning from ear to ear. Her body was relaxed and ready. She was rolling her wrists around. She'd obviously gotten into the cab of the Chevy and pulled her fighting gloves out and slid them on.

“This is gonna be fun,” she said, happily. “Alright, boys. Say when.”

“Shouldn't we help her?” Talia asked.

“No need,” Quan said. “There's only four of them and they're normal human types. She leaned against the wall. “This won't take long.”

The first of the group, the man with the tractor-hat came at her. She exploded into motion. She buried her fist into John Deere's gut, doubling him over. She then turned and slammed a reverse spin kick into his ass, sending him flying into the side of the building.

Number 3 rushed at her. She quickly backhanded him in the side of his face, spinning him to the ground. His two buddies charged at her angered that their friends had just been dropped by a girl. She took two steps and lifted her arms, clotheslining the both of them harshly. None of the men were prepared for how utterly strong she was. The pair of assailants were tossed to the ground, hard. They fought to catch their breath.

Nascar rose from the dirt, shaking his head. Neo stood, staring him down. “This just keeps getting better,” she said, smiling widely. She strode forward, looking to have some fun.

He'd managed to find an empty bottle from somewhere. He was looking to bash her over the head with it. He ran and swung the bottle at her. She backhanded the glass, shattering the bottle into a million fragments. The man stepped back, shocked. She loosed a sharp jab that staggered him back. She then shot her foot out, catching him in the gut, pushing him back to tumble over a garbage can. From nowhere, one of the men she'd clotheslined rose and caught her with a hard right cross that blasted her face to the side. She quickly turned back around to stare at him with a sinister grin. “Not bad. I almost felt that.” She kicked him in the crotch, doubling him over. She stepped in and grabbed him by the hair and the back of the pants and spun, throwing him into the side of the lifted Chevy she drove. His head collided with the metal, producing a minor dent. He landed in a heap, not moving.

Nascar and the remaining redneck, both enraged, came at her hard. She easily smacked their strikes away, laughing. “Come on, boys. You  _gotta_  be able to do better than this.” As one of them tried a front kick, she dropped to a knee, caught his leg at the ankle and drilled him in the balls. He let out a strangled squeal and gripped his broken genitals. She stood and pushed his leg into this companion's path. She let out with a high side kick to the second man's face, forcing him back. She then punched the man with the bruised crotch in the jaw, spinning him to the dirt.

That left her to square off with the final redneck. He growled and rushed at her, looking to bear her down. Neo was more than ready for him. She stepped into his charge, grabbing his shirt just below his throat and his belt buckle. She used his momentum and lifted him from the gravel, hurling him bodily into the wall. The brick flowered under his weight. He fell to the ground in a busted mass.

She stood, looking around the lot. All four men lay about, moaning and clutching various parts of their anatomy. “That's it?” She asked, sharply. “Fuckin' pussies.” She looked at her companions. They all stood watching her. “These bastards were sorry.”

“Feel better?” Quan asked her.

“Yeah. A little,” Neo said. “Let's motor. You guys grab my burger?”

Talia held the pair of cartons up. “I've got it.” They climbed into the truck and pulled away from the restaurant, making sure to avoid the men still laying about the car park.

Soon they were rolling out of town, again heading south on Highway 101. Neo was whistling as she drove. Talia just looked at her for a while. “What?” Neo asked. She looked down. “I got something on my shirt?”

“You could have seriously hurt those men, Alice,” Talia said, matter-of-fact.

“Fuck that, I coulda killed those motherfuckers. A few well-placed shots to the neck or chests and it'd be game over. And yeah, I also could have whupped 'em up so bad they'd have to spend the rest of their lives in wheelchairs.” She then shook her head. “But I was out to have a little fun and prove a point, not commit manslaughter or attempted murder.”

“Why didn't you just let it go? Why not simply ignore them?” Talia asked.

“Didn't wanna,” Neo said. “I was hoping for some action and those hillbillies gave it to me. What fun would ignoring them have been?”

“What if you'd have gotten arrested?”

Neo shrugged. “There ain't a fuckin' judge in the country that would have convicted me. Those guys say that I beat the shit out of them all, it would have gotten laughed out of court. That and with my psych profile?” She shook her head. “I could have killed 'em and walked away from it, truth be told. According to the state, I'm crazier than a sack full of bobcats.”

“Trust me, I've read your psychological profile,” Talia confirmed. “In all honesty, a good psychiatrist with you for a patient could have a very lucrative career with little else.”

Neo nodded. “I'm a fucked up individual.”

“Why the constant need for a fight?” Talia asked. “I'm not trying to analyze you, I'm not judging. I'm simply curious.”

Neo was quiet for a time. She thought about it long and hard, wanting to give the woman a true answer. “I think…” She paused a moment. “I think it's because there are really only three times when I'm truly,  _truly_  happy. When I'm really at peace. That's when I'm on stage, putting it all out there for our fans. I love the feeling. I like them watching me, seeing that I care, that I give a shit what they want, what they came to see, you know?” She smiled. “Just seeing the looks on their faces when we bust out their favorite song. Nothin' like it.”

“That's one,” Talia said.

“Second would have to be in bed. I like sex. It's not…it's not just having it and getting off, that isn't what it's about for me. I genuinely have to have something between me and who I bring to my bed. It can be anything but there just has to be… _something_  there. I don't know if that makes sense or not.”

“It isn't just about looks?” Talia asked her.

“No, it's not. That's a big part of it, don't get me wrong but I have to have a reason to want to be around someone, even for a night. I always strike up conversations first. I'm forward as shit and won't even consider being with someone that can't handle that. I hate bitches that play fuckin' mind games. Pisses me off.”

“So…” Talia tried to see if she understood. “Any girl you're with has to be somewhat intelligent and have a genuine personality?”

“Yeah, pretty much. I mean, I've made a few exceptions here and there but that's largely what I look for.”

“And finally?”

“You just saw it. When I'm fighting it's just, it's my happy place. Win, lose or draw. I enjoying fighting.”

“Yes, but do you know  _why_  you enjoy it?” Talia asked.

“I think so,” Neo said. “At the very least, I have my own theory on it and it explains things to a point.”

“What's your theory?”

“You ever seen the movie The Fast and the Furious?” Neo asked. “The first of the franchise?”

“Yes. I'm a closet fan, actually.”

“Well, there's a line that Vin Diesel uses in that movie. It's about racing but I've kind of found that it applies to me, in a way. I'm paraphrasing but he said that when he's racing, for the ten seconds it takes to get down the stretch, he's free. Nothing matters but him and the car. When I'm fighting, it's the same. When I'm in the clutch, staring down my opponents, there's nothing but them and me. Nothing in the world matters for those few minutes. It's the only time in my life where everything comes into focus, you know? It's the only time that it all, the world, the universe makes sense. It isn't chaotic, it isn't orderly, it just  _is_. And that's why I love it. I'm in complete control and know exactly what I have to do. That's a feeling that I never get tired of.”

“Sounds to me like you fight because you think that's all you're good for.”

Neo looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Um…what the hell else  _am_  I good for?”

“You're a big sister to Cerri. She loves you to death. You're also a younger sister to Quan, not to mention being one of the only few people on the planet that the twins respect.” She looked down, sadly. “And I have come to care a great deal for you.”

Neo heard the woman's words and sighed. “You falling in love with me, British?”

“I suppose I am at that,” Talia said.

“Huh,” Neo said, noncommittal.

Talia looked at her. “Seriously? I pour my heart out to you and all you can say is 'huh'?”

“What would you rather I say?” Neo asked. “I could feed you bullshit if it would make you feel more comfortable.”

“I don't know, Alice. But I expected… _something_.”

Neo sighed. “Then go back to fucking England.” She turned to look at the woman. “Tillamook has an airport.”

Talia was dumbfounded. “Just like that?”

“What do you fuckin' want me to say, Talia?” Neo snapped. “You've known me for what? Two weeks at best? Well, I'm sorry for not falling head over _fucking_  heels for you. Yeah, you're easy on the eyes, one hell of a lover but that doesn't equate to love, sweetheart. Never has. In fact, you wanna get right down to it, there's a fuck ton about you that I find irritating as hell.”

“Oh, that's rich,” Talia growled. “The foul-mouthed fight monger has a problem with  _my_  personality.”

“Damn right I do.” Neo snapped. “The first of which is this constant fucking need to understand every damn decision I make. I can't be pissed off around you with you trying to fucking psychoanalyze every God damn thing I do. Ever occur to you that sometimes I just wanna be mad for a while?”

“Well pardon the bloody hell out of me for not liking to see you angry.” Talia shot back. “Maybe I should just shut my mouth and let you do whatever the hell you'd like. I'm trying to help you, you addle-minded twat.”

“Did I ever fucking ask you for help?” Neo asked. “Cause, in case you ain't up on current events, you came to  _us_. We never asked for a babysitter from the Watcher's Council. We were doing fine before we ever got you and if you were to take a fuckin' walk right now, we'd still be doing just fine. Only difference is we wouldn't have some British smart ass constantly telling us where the bear shit in the fucking buckwheat.”

Talia could feel anger boiling in her. She genuinely believed that Neo gave a damn about her. She didn't expect confessions of true love or anything so heartfelt as that but she expected to at least have the girl care. Hearing her words and the cold, heartless tone with which she delivered them…she felt hurt, crushed even. “Do you really wish me to go back to England?”

“I ain't fuckin' stoppin' you,” Neo said, coldly. “Your call, not mine.”

“No, Alice,” Talia said, shaking her head. “I'm not letting you off that easy. You have to tell me to go. You have to look me in the  _fucking_ eyes and tell me to leave.”

Neo pulled over to the side of the road and stopped. The Raptor slid to a stop a few feet ahead. She slowly turned her eyes to Talia. “I'm going to make this as clear as I possibly can, so pay attention. I…don't…care. Stay, go. I don't really give a shit one way or another. We've been a band a long time and losing you, or keeping you, isn't really gonna matter to me.”

“I want an answer, Alice. I want a decision from you. You tell me to go, I'll step out of this truck and you'll never see me again. But you have to say it. You have to tell me to go.”

“Then get the fuck out,” Neo said, anger in her voice. “That plain enough for you? Get your British ass out of my fuckin' truck.” She paused a moment as Talia stared at her in shock. “Not seein' a whole lotta goin'.”

Talia felt the tears begin to fall from her eyes. She turned and slowly stepped out of the truck, shutting the door. She stepped away from the rig, watching as Neo shifted gears and pulled away, leaving her sitting on the side of the road.

“What the fuck?” Quan said, watching the lifted Chevy take off south. She looked in the rearview and saw Talia bury her face in her hands and weep. “I'll be right back,” she said. “Cerri, call Neo and tell her to stop.” She climbed out of the truck and turned, trotting toward the saddened Watcher. She drew closer and could hear the woman crying. “What the hell happened?”

“I'm going home,” Talia said, between sobs. “I'm going back to England.”

“What?!” Quan was shocked beyond words. “What the fuck is this all about?”

Talia sniffed past the tears. “Alice has made it plain that I'm no longer welcome in Portland or with you girls.”

“How did this start?” Quan asked. “Everything seemed fine in the restaurant.”

“I…I was stupid,” Talia said.

“Okay, Talia. You can be considered a lot of things, I'm sure but you are most definitely  _not_  stupid.”

“I made the mistake of telling Alice that I was developing feelings for her.”

Quan's jaw dropped. “Oh, Christ. Yeah, that was dumb.”

“I know. She doesn't care about me at all.” Talia returned.

“No, she does. I can guarantee you that. You just touched on the one thing that scares Neo. She's scared of getting close.”

“She seems to be rather close with the lot of you,” Talia said.

“Yeah but it's been hard earned. She lost her mom when she was young, then she lost her father, then Reggie. She's had a track record for losing people that get close to her. We're her friends, bandmates, and sisters in arms. It's a different dynamic.” Quan motioned her to follow. “She's terrified of losing someone she genuinely _loves_. The feelings are there, T. I can see it in how she is around you. But she's scared shitless of falling in love with someone. She sees everyone she gets close to as a ticking clock. Just counting down to the time you're taken away from her. She's afraid of that pain. I can't really blame her. Up until now, she's been just kinda playin' the field, living her life her way. Now you're here and you just hand her your heart, sight unseen. That's got her spooked.”

“I think maybe going back to England is the best thing for all concerned-,”

Quan interrupted her. “Nope. Not lettin' you do that.” She approached the truck and pulled open the passenger door. “You get ahold of Neo?”

“She said she'll meet us at the next rest stop,” Cerri said. She immediately climbed into the back. “She sounded like she was really mad. Or really sad. I couldn't tell.”

“Probably angry. If she sees you picked me up, she's going to be cross,” Talia said.

“No. Cross is for British people. She's gonna be fucking enraged,” Quan said. “But she needs to calm her shit. And it's gonna fuckin' hurt.” She climbed into the rig and headed off toward the rest stop.

“Why is it going to hurt?” Talia said.

“Oh, they do this on occasion,” Cerri said. “Neo's extremely pissed off right now. The only way she can calm down when she's this mad is by beating the hell out of something. She doesn't get this mad often but when she does – and there's no supernatural beasties to thrash – she and Quan go at it. It's brutal and it's nasty but it's what we have to do to keep Neo from killing people.”

“Neo's anger isn't just a petulant little girl with daddy issues. She's clinically diagnosed,” Sadiira said. “To alleviate her rage, she has to physically assault something or it'll compound.”

“Has anyone ever let it go on unchecked?” Talia asked.

“Once,” Cerri said, her voice was filled with fear. “We have a transcript that Reggie gave her. It was typed up during a session she had with a psychologist at Cedar Hills in Portland. She was arrested once just before Quan met her. She was checked into their hospital for an evaluation. It took fourteen people to wrestle her down and pumped enough Diazepam in her to stagger a bull elephant. Even then, she kept resisting for another ten minutes before she finally calmed down. It wasn't pretty.”

“It happened again and the pair of us went at it for almost a half hour,” Quan said. “She'd broken a rib, fractured my collar bone and gave me a severe concussion.”

“Dear God,” Talia said. “What did you do to her?”

“Just kept her from beating me worse,” Quan said. “I didn't really hit her, I just let her wail on me.”

“I'm not letting you do that for me,” Talia said as they pulled into the rest stop. “If she feels the need to beat the snot out of someone, it's going to be me.”

“You don't understand, Talia. She'll kill you,” Quan said. “I ain't gonna let that sit on my conscience.”

“Not your choice. This is my mess, I'll clean it up.” She looked at Quan. “I've made my choice.”

“What part of she'll kill you, do you not fucking understand? I'm not being facetious, here. This isn't a joke or a game. She will genuinely beat you to death.”

“If that's how it has to be,” Talia said, stepping out of the truck.

Quan took the stun gun out of the console and tested it. “I'm gonna go make sure this doesn't get out of hand.”

“Good luck,” Nadiira said, softly.

Talia strode up to the truck and around to the driver's side. Neo sat with her arms crossed, staring straight ahead. The Watcher pulled the door open. “Get out of the truck, please.”

Neo turned and looked at her. “I thought you said if I told you to get out of the truck, I'd never see you again.”

“Fate deemed it otherwise. Get out of the truck, please.”

“So you lied?” Neo asked. “Shouldn't be surprised. Being full of shit is all the Watcher's Council's good for, isn't it?”

“Don't make me repeat myself, again,” Talia said.

Neo heard the hint of challenge and did as the woman requested. “Now what?”

“Hit me,” Talia said, simply. “Yes, you heard me right. Hit me. Anywhere you like. I won't fight back, I won't defend myself. Anyplace on my body, you feel like, strike me. It can even be a killing blow. I know you're capable of it. I won't file charges, I won't rat you out.” She stared at Neo. “Here, let me make it easy for you.” In a flash, her fist arced in, taking the teen across the jaw. Blood began to drip from Neo's lip. “There. I struck you first. Now you can hit me with a clear conscience.”

Neo spat the gobbet of blood out and stared at Talia. “You want me to hit you.” The potential said. “Why?” If she felt anything from the rather vicious blow Talia had landed, she showed no sign of it.

“Because, from what your bandmates have said, being ridiculously violent is the only way to get you thinking clearly again.” Talia stepped forward. “I'll not let you beat up on one of your best friends because I was stupid enough to believe you actually gave a shit about anyone but yourself.”

“It wasn't stupid,” Neo said, her voice soft.

“Yes, I know you don't give a damn, I…” Talia paused as the words Neo had said finally caught up with her. “What did you say?”

“Christ, she's gonna make me repeat it,” Neo said. “You weren't being stupid.” She began pacing. “You don't understand what being in love is like to someone like me.”

“You're afraid of losing anyone that comes close,” Talia said. “Quan laid it all out for me.”

“Quan needs to quit thinking she knows everything. It isn't about losing anyone. I mean, don't get me wrong, that's important but that isn't what it…what _we're_  about.” She motioned between the pair of them. “You love me. After only something like two weeks, you're in love with me. Or starting to be or some shit. I'm not gonna lie to you, Talia. There is a large part of me that wants you to get the fuck away from me. That's the part that wouldn't shut its fuckin' mouth in the truck. But there's another side, a small part that…God fucking dammit,” she said, clenching her fists. “I like who I am.”

“What?” Talia asked, not really understanding where the girl was going with this. “I don't get it.”

“I like who I am,” Neo said again. “I like being me. I like being the dirty sex having, rock and roll singing, hard fighting badass. Beating the fuck outta shit, then grabbing a steak and taking someone home to fuck. I like that life. I like how I feel when I do it.” She stared at the woman. “I fall in love with you, all of that changes.”

“I don't want to change…”

“It won't be you, God dammit!” Neo said, her voice cracking. “It won't have anything to do with what you say or do. It's gonna be me. I know it. I can feel it. It's already starting.”

Talia listened intently to the words coming out of Neo's mouth.  _“I fall in love with you, all of that changes…It's already starting.”_ ”Are you saying…”

“I'm saying that for you, I'd wanna be a better person. Good people don't live like I do. They don't do the shit I do.” Neo was sobbing now. “And now because of you, I'm fuckin' cryin'.” She glared at the woman. “Is that what you wanted? Huh? To see me fuckin' cry? Good fucking job, Talia. You got what you wanted.” Neo turned away from her wiping her eyes. “Can't fuckin' believe this shit.” She snarled to herself.

“Alice, look at me,” Talia said, stepping forward. “Please turn and look at me.”

Against her better judgment, Neo did just that. “I don't wanna love you, Talia. I want to be who I am.”

“That's what I want as well. I don't care that you are always angry. Yes, I'm trying to help you but I'm not trying to _change_ you. I don't want you to change. The so-called dirty sex having, rock and roll singing, hard fighting badass is who I'm falling in love with. I don't want you tamed. I don't want you to lose the edge that all of the supernatural world fears.” She dared to reach out and touch Neo's hips with her hands. A gentle caress of support. “Please don't cast me aside, Alice. I want to be a part of your life. However hard, rough, and sexually charged it might be.”

“It won't matter what you want, Talia. Things will change about me. I already don't care about…” She sighed, staring into her Watcher's eyes. “I don't care about being alone in the dark with anyone but you.” She shook her head. “And that isn't who I am…who I was.”

“If you truly wish to bed others, I won't stop you,” Talia said. “I know you are young yet and that…”

“For fuck's sake, stop it,” Neo said. “Get this through your thick head.” She gripped the sides of Talia's face. “Making you cry and get out of the truck was the hardest fucking thing I'd ever had to do. I couldn't stand the thought of you hurting but at the same time, I didn't want it to go too far. I wanted it over before I loved you too much to send you away.” She shook her head. “But it's already too late. I realize that now. It's not that I can't drag other bitches to bed, it's that I  _won't_. Because it would hurt you. You'd play like it doesn't but here…” Neo tapped Talia's chest. “You would still care. And it would tear you apart piece by piece. I won't do that to you.”

“You…” Talia swallowed. “You love me?”

“No,” Neo said. “But I can see, I can  _feel_  it happening. And I already wanna be a better woman for you because of it. And  _that_  is what I'm afraid of.”

“Well…” Talia was confused now. “What do we do about it?”

“What the fuck do you think we do about it? Play fuckin' hopscotch? We fall in love, hope for some semblance of happily ever after and hope we don't get killed or eaten by something. We fuck, I cuss, get into fights, and you work with the rest of the girls to bail me out.” Neo shook her head. “Jesus. And I thought I was dumb,” she said, walking back to the truck.

Talia stood, a smile working across her lips.

“You getting in or not?” Neo snapped.

“Do you want me in the truck with you?” Talia asked. She'd just been dragged through the emotional wringer. She was going to get a little revenge. “I don't want to tread where I'm not welcome. You seemed pretty certain last time we spoke.”

“Oh, for fuck's sake.” Neo walked around and opened the passenger door of the truck. She then stalked over to Talia and, in one swift motion, lifted her from the ground in a fireman's carry. “Ain't got fuckin' time for this shit.” She carried the woman around and tossed her up into the seat. “Buckle up. I don't wanna fuckin' ticket.” She slammed the door and moved around, climbing behind the wheel.

Quan nodded as the pair returned to the truck. She retook her position. “That went better than expected.”

The potential turned and looked at Talia. “I'm not romantic. At all. The closest you'll get from me is making sure you get off during sex. You got these fine British sensibilities and shit. I…I'm not even a hundred percent sure what sensibilities even means. Morals and shit, I think. Could be wrong. I guess my point is I say the wrong shit, I do the wrong shit. Pretty much all the time. The only promises I can make is that I won't deliberately hurt you and I'll go to my grave protecting you. As for morals, well…my moral compass only points to the direction of 'fuck you'.”

“What are you trying to say?”

Neo stared at her. “Christ on a Goddamn crutch, she’s gonna make me fuckin’ say it,” she said, groaning. “I want you to stay with us…with  _me_. I need you, Talia. I can feel…I can feel shit with you that I've never felt with anyone. I know, that sounds like some serious City of Angels Nick Cage and Meg Ryan bullshit but it's true. God that movie fucking sucked.” Neo shook her head. “I don't know if what I feel is a good thing or not or where it might lead but …I want you here. You're good for me. I know I'm not good for you. I'm not good for anyone but…”

“I don't want you saying that anymore,” Talia said, seriously. “I'll not permit you to get down on yourself.”

“Christ, you are a pain in my ass,” Neo said, shaking her head. “Why am I falling for you again?”

“My tongue, my tits, and my ass,” Talia said, smiling.

“That ain't all of it,” Neo said, seriously. “It's because you didn't give up.”

“No, I did,” Talia said, ashamed. “Quan was the one that talked me out hitchhiking back to the nearest town.”

“Fuck,” Neo said, angrily. “Now I gotta actually thank her. Christ.”

“Oh, how terrible,” Talia said, chuckling.

“I can still change my mind you know,” Neo said.

“No, you can't.”

Neo decided to shut up. Being the more… _butch_  partner in the relationship, anything she said from this point on would just be wrong. “Being in love's a bitch.” She did offer a few minutes later.

Talia nodded but kept quiet.


	5. Chapter 5

“Welcome to Cheeseville,” Neo said as they rolled into the town of Tillamook. “Population, you'uns.” She looked at Talia. “That's y'all plus three.”

Talia shook her head. “You're horrible.”

“Okay…” Neo asked, shifting in her seat. “Where the hell are we going?” She followed the blue pickup as they turned off the highway and onto State Route 131. “Oh, snap. They have a Safeway.”

Talia lifted an eyebrow. “Why is that important?”

“Killer egg rolls.” Neo offered. “This town ain't got no Chinese Food Buffets. Safeway is the next best thing. One of the only grocery stores I know of that has Chinese food that doesn't taste like minced ass meat.”

The Watcher chuckled. “Where do you get your phrasing?”

“Television and the internet,” Neo said. It was just after two in the afternoon when they pulled off the road a couple of miles outside of Tillamook and into the Netarts Way RV Park. “Wow. This place is small.”

They rumbled to a stop and waited as Quan and Cerri climbed out of the Ford and trotted into the office.

Neo leaned forward and rested her arms on the steering wheel. “So look…” She began. “Christ I'm fucking bad at this,” she said, shaking her head. “I'm sorry, alright?” She looked at Talia. “I was a fucking cunt back there. I shoulda never said that shit to you. It was fucked and if you feel like smacking me or some shit, I'll understand.”

Talia stared at her a moment. She was still a little emotionally shaken but she wasn't really angry. She was, however, stunned beyond belief that Neo would actually  _apologize_  to her. She hadn't expected it at all. “Thank you,” she said, offering a smile. “I know how hard that was for you to say.”

“I don't like apologizing. But I'm willing to do it if I know I was wrong,” Neo said, looking back forward. “I always knew I'd eventually have to grow out of being this way sooner or later.” She regarded Talia again with a smile. Neo always had a beautiful smile. It made people around her aware of the fact that she was actually a very pretty young girl. When it wasn't filled with menace or sarcasm, just plain out and out happiness, it let the world know that there was a very charming teenager beneath the veneer of hardcore. “I guess if I have to change, I can't think of anyone I'd rather do it for than you.”

Talia could more than hear, she could  _feel_  the emotion in Neo's words. “I just want you to know I don't want you to change.”

Neo nodded and saw Quan and Cerri come out of the office and get back into the truck. “I know you don't.” She put it into gear and pulled forward slowly. “But there are certain things I can curb. I can, I don't know, compliment you more, I guess.” Talia couldn't help but laugh. “I'm trying to be all heartfelt here.”

“I know, I'm sorry,” Talia said, trying to keep her laughing under control.

“Fuck you,” Neo said, shaking her head. She had to admit, Talia had one infectious laugh. She began chuckling. “Stop laughing, dammit.”

The woman bit her lip but kept snorting. Neo ignored her as she backed the trailer into the space. She and Quan went about getting the trailer hooked up and leveled for the time they were going to be in town. The girls then went inside and got down to business.

“So what's the situation here?” Neo asked.

“Nest,” Cerri said. “Big one if the reports are anything to go by.”

“Let's hope they aren't pussies and take off as soon as they find out we're in town.” She looked at Quan. “I wanna do a patrol tonight. See what's going on and see if we can find anything out.”

“I don't think you'll have to worry about anyone running,” Cerri said. She set her laptop up to be seen on the TV. “Take a look at these newspaper clippings.”

The girls gathered around and could already see a pattern. For over a hundred years, there'd been unexplained deaths in the town. Not enough to be alarming…at least until recently. “It looks like starting in the early two thousands, the death toll in this town has increased quite a bit,” Talia said, reading. “Forty-seven deaths in the past eighteen months.”

“So what are we thinking?” Neo asked. “An old master or something?”

“Seems legit,” Cerri said. “Gimme a second,” she said, lifting her cellphone. She dialed a number and put it on speaker.

“Hey, Cerri. What's up?” Max answered.

“I'm looking through the obituaries and police blotters in Tillamook for the past century. It looks like we might have a master in town. Have you heard anything about this area?”

Max leaned back in the chair in front of the girls' console. “Just rumors. Given that I've never been there, I wouldn't know for sure. It's just talk.”

“What have you heard?”

“That the town's basically a free-for-all after dark. It's a blind spot. You guys don't travel that far south. Neither do we. It's a hole.”

“Any news on the vamp running the show, or it is just random gangs?” Neo asked.

“I've heard there's some guy down there calling himself Părintele Noapte. Not really sure what his deal is. Of course, I got it from a vampire just before I ate his ass, so who knows if he was telling me the truth or not.”

Talia frowned and moved to the large chest she had her books in.

Meanwhile, the girls were trying to figure out what the name meant. “Părintele Noapte. What fuckin' language is that?” Neo asked.

“Romanian,” Talia said, from the back room. “Loosely translated it means Father Night.” She sifted through her tomes. “I think I've seen that name before.”

“But you have no idea what his power or skill set might be?” Sadiira asked.

“No, I couldn't tell ya. Never met him personally. Given that he's never really hit anyone's radar, he can't be all that badass.” Max returned.

“She’s got a point,” Neo said, nodding. “Reggie made sure I was up on every major player over the past two or three centuries. This guy never came up.”

“Thanks, Max. How is everything going up there?” Cerri asked.

“Good. A couple of suck-heads passing through. A few college kids got together last night and summoned a demon in their dorm room at the college here but nothing serious. Turns out it was just some weird horn demon. Steele and Shelby just beat the shit out of him and torched his ass.”

“Glad to hear it,” Neo said. “Stay frosty. You never know what'll try to make a play.”

“Always. Have fun,” Max said, before ending the call.

“Well that gives us something to go on,” Neo said. She turned to see Talia walking out of the back of the trailer with a book in her hands. “What do you got?”

“Apparently, before he was Părintele Noapte, he was a Romanian immigrant named Grigore Anton. He was turned sometime around the late eighteen hundreds. He formed a small band of like-minded vampires and began rampaging about Europe. It says that he ran afoul…” She raised an eyebrow. “Well, this is interesting.” She looked at Neo. “Angelus met up with him just before the turn of the century.”

Cerri immediately nodded. “That's Angel. He's with the crew in Los Angeles.”

“You saying Angel knows this ass-hat?” Quan asked. “Give him a call. See if he can tell us anything about him.”

The girl did as her girlfriend asked. “Angel Investigations, we help the helpless. How can we help you today?” A cheerful girl's voice answered.

“Um…is Angel there?” Cerri asked.

“May I ask who's calling?” The girl asked.

“My name's Cerridwen. I'm with Demon Queller out of Portland.”

“Oh. I've heard of you. I worked with some of you in Point Defiance last year. I'm Cordelia.”

“We need to talk to Angel. It's important,” Neo said, trying to get back on topic.

“I remember you. You're the really pissed off potential. Neo Knight, isn't it? Where'd you get that nickname, anyway?”

“Dartboard,” Neo said. “Can we talk to Angel, please?”

“Jeez, pissy much?” Cordy said. “At least you said please.” She put the phone on hold.

A moment later, the phone clicked. “This is Angel.”

“Hey, Angel. It's Cerridwen. From Portland?”

“I know who you are. Cordy filled me in. What's the problem? My read in the landscape is demons and vampires are more terrified of you five than they are of me.”

“What do you know about some shit stain named Părintele Noapte?” Neo asked. “He's Romanian.”

“I met him about a hundred and twenty years ago. We were in Europe. In Prague. He came through and was causing a lot of problems. He's bloodthirsty. Or at least he was back then. Word is he might have calmed some. Why do you need to know?”

“Max thinks he's the master running the show in Tillamook,” Talia said. “Talia Turner, by the way. I'm a Watcher.”

“I thought the Watcher's Council turned their backs on Neo,” Angel said.

“Things change, big guy.” Neo offered. “You know that more than anyone. ‘Sides, they didn’t turn their backs on me. I threw ‘em out.”

He chuckled. “True. If you girls are going up against Părintele Noapte, you should be ready for anything. He's as twisted as it gets.”

“Any fucked up powers or anything like that?” Neo asked.

“Not that I remember. If he did, he played them pretty close to the vest,” Angel said. “At the end of the day, he was a vampire like any other. Shouldn't be a problem for girls of your reputation.”

“Does it bother you that the underworld is afraid of us?” Neo asked him. She was curious what some of the other hunters thought about that.

“No. That just means you're doing something right.” He paused a moment. “With that said, I am going to say this. I'm afraid for you, Neo.”

“Why me?” She asked, surprised. She barely knew the man.

“Because a lot of things are afraid of you. I've heard some of the harder types come through LA talking about you. You like to dish it out hard and fast. You're all about sending messages.” She nodded in agreement. “But that kind of reputation from someone that isn't a slayer, that's completely human, is eventually gone make you a target.”

“That's what I'm counting on,” Neo said. “It makes  _me_  a target. Not the rest of the girls.”

“But a lot of those types will go through them to get to you,” Angel said, solemnly.

All four of the girls turned and looked at Cerri. “We know.” Quan growled. “Cerri got the bad end of that situation.”

“Just be careful if you go after him. He's a dangerous man.”

“We'll watch our six,” Neo said. “Thanks for giving us the skinny on this jack-wad.”

“Good luck,” he said, ending the call.

“Alright. We know what we're dealing with,” Neo said. “Let's go grab some dinner. I'm fuckin' hungry.” They all piled into the truck and headed back into town. It was just after four thirty when they entered to find a restaurant.

They all found it kind of strange that a majority of the businesses were starting to close their doors for the night. “Anyone else find this weird?” Quan asked from her place behind the wheel. Cerri sat between her and Neo in the front seat. Talia and the twins took up the back seats.

“Everything's either already closed or closing,” Neo said, shaking her head. “I wonder why.”

“Sounds like they know they have a vampire problem and are adjusting their schedules accordingly,” Talia said.

“Pull in here,” Neo said, motioning to a small boutique pizzeria called Fat Dog's. The staff looked to be cleaning up for the night. Quan pulled up to the parking lot.

The girls piled out and made their way inside. The man behind the counter watched them as they entered. “You'll have to order to go. We're shutting down the dining room,” he said, somewhat nervously.

Neo nodded. “Give us two of your biggest Combos, a Canadian Bacon and Pineapple and…” She looked at Talia. “What kind do you like?”

“I'm not picky about pizza. It's all good to me.” The woman said.

“Make that two Hawaiians and Two combos. As big as you can make 'em,” Neo said. “And gimme six two liters.”

He rang the order up and called it into the back to get made. “Your total is one-oh-one even.”

Cerri pulled out the S3 dot com account card and ran it for the total. She jotted her name and signed for a twenty dollar tip.

“So, why does everything in this town close at five?” Neo asked. “Seems kinda early, don't it?”

“People don't wanna be out after dark in this town. If you girls were smart, you'd take this and hurry home,” he said, sternly.

“What happens after dark?” Talia asked.

He turned pale as he looked at her. “That's when  _they_  come out,” he said. “They see you on the streets, it's game over.”

“Who's  _they_?” Neo asked.

“The vampires,” he said, softly. “When the sun goes down, it's their time. They control the town between dusk and dawn. The only thing you can do is lock up your house and hope they don't take an interest in you.”

Neo grinned and smacked the countertop. “Hot damn, I knew it,” she said, happily. She turned to the girls. “This is gonna be so damn fun.”

Talia nodded and looked at the man. “If one wanted to know where to find them, where would one look?”

“You're actually  _looking_  for vampires?” He asked. “Are you insane?”

“Card-carrying,” Neo said. She leaned on the counter and stared at him flirtatiously. “So tell me, studly. Where could a girl like me find some vampire action?”

“What are you some sort of…vampire groupie?” He looked a little disgusted.

“Oh hell no,” she said, shaking her head. “The way I see it, vampires are like cockroaches.” She chuckled. “And I'm the fuckin' Orkin man.”

“You… _hunt_  vampires?”

Neo stepped back, spread her arms and bowed. “Demon Queller, at your service,” she said, happily.

One of the girls cleaning stopped and looked at them. “You're playing the high school this weekend,” she said, grinning. “I've got tickets to your concert.”

Neo swept over and looked at her. “You a fan of our music?”

“Hell yes, I am,” she said, happy as could be. “I've got your CD. I bought it at your Holocene show about six months ago.”

“Cool. What's your name?” Neo said.

“Holly Green.”

“Damn,” Cerri said, chuckling. “You got made fun of in school.”

“Well, Holly. Come find us after the concert. We'll hook you up with some swag.” Neo sighed and shook her head. “Christ I hang out with Alexia too much.”

The girl nodded. “I will.”

“Get back to work.” The man said to the girl. She nodded and went back to cleaning. “If you girls are really looking for the hangout, try the Red Apple Inn a few blocks down on ninth. Word has it they run the place.”

“What is it, a hotel?” Neo asked as he set her order on the counter.

He nodded. “A lot of truck drivers come through town and stay there. Some never make it back out.”

Neo thanked him and took her order. The girls left and drove along the road, past the motel in question. “Seems innocent enough.” The potential said. “Let's get back to the trailer and eat.” A few minutes later, they were around the table hashing out a plan. “Me and Quan are gonna hit the place and see about getting a room.” She looked at Cerri. “We'll get in with our cameras on and walk a perimeter then get inside a room.”

“With Rite's help, I should be able to create a good 3D mockup of the place.” The girl said.

“What if they try to kill you?” Talia asked.

“That's what I'm hoping for. We'll take the Chevy and leave you guys the Ford. Gear up and stay frosty. It's only a two-minute drive from here to there. We can hold out that long if things really go south,” Neo said. “Besides that, you saw what's going on in this town. We got a lot of ground to make up for.”

“Fair enough,” Talia said. “But there is something I've been wondering about. This is a travel trailer, not an apartment or a house…”

Cerri shook her head. “Remember? We had Max check it out. As soon as we got it signed over to us, Max couldn't come in without an invite.”

“Oh,” Talia said. “I keep forgetting Max is a vampire.”

“She definitely ain't your typical neck monkey,” Neo said. She looked at her watch and looked outside. “Sun's down. Let's go and play.”

Cerri stepped up to Quan and kissed her intently. “Be careful. Come back to me.”

“I will, baby,” she said in return.

Talia moved up to Neo. “I suppose it would be a waste of time to try and talk you out of this.”

Neo stared at her. “See, this is what I was talking about. A month ago, I would have done this without a second thought. But right now, if you asked me to stay here…I probably would.” She shook her head. “So please, don't ask.”

“I wouldn't dream of it.” The Watcher pulled her in and offered a warm, loving kiss. “I want you to be careful. But teach the vampires in this town who you are. Just make sure you come back to me. I know how you get after a fight.”

“You got it,” Neo said, turning to Quan. “You ready?” The pair left the travel trailer, dressed in their tactical gear with their leather jackets on over the body armor. They had their assault vests in the backpacks they carried.

Quan climbed into the driver's side of the massive Chevy and pulled away from the RV park. She looked to her right. Neo was sitting, bobbing her leg. “You're looking forward to this, aren't you?”

“God, yes.” The potential said. “I really haven't had any good action since that group outside the warehouse. That was what? Two weeks ago?”

“So the rednecks outside the restaurant in Nehalem don't count?”

“Fuck no. They were drunk hillbillies. That shit so doesn't count.” She watched as they came into town. “I just need to kick some ass and not have to sweat being careful. I had to watch my shit with those hicks. This is just gonna be mindlessly wreckin' people's shit.”

Quan chuckled. “I love you, sometimes, you know that?”

“You're taken, there Mrs. Beefstick,” Neo said, popping her knuckles. “Here we are.”

They pulled up and into a parking spot. The girls tapped their cameras and their earpieces. “Cerri, can you hear us?” Quan asked.

“I got you. Five by five.” The girl returned. “Have fun, ladies.”

They stepped out of the rig and gathered their gear. They didn't bother locking the truck. Chances were good they'd be leaving in a big damn hurry. Neo pulled a silver cross out of her pocket and draped it over her neck, leaving it exposed on the outside of her jacket. Quan had 'Coexist' written in religious symbols about her neck, so she wasn't really worried about anyone trying to go Lestat on her.

They entered the main office and stepped up to the front desk. Quan pulled the little silver bell away from Neo and tapped it once. The younger girl looked at her. “What?”

“I know you. You'd be banging on it for God knows how long, annoying my ass,” Quan said, quietly.

Neo shrugged and nodded. “Yeah, probably.” A few seconds later a man in his mid-thirties came out of the back office.

He looked pretty normal, to be honest. He gave the girls a smarmy smile. He shifted a little way from Neo when he dropped his eyes to the necklace she was wearing. He did his best to make it look natural. “What can I do for you ladies?” He asked. His voice was relatively cultured, which sent up all kinds of red flags to both girls.

“We'd like a room for the night,” Quan said.

“A bed and a shower. We're fuckin' exhausted.” Neo offered.

“We can do that for you. What kind of room?”

“One bed,” Quan said. “We don't mind sharing.” She leaned against Neo with a grin.

He chuckled and pulled out the paperwork. “Cash, debit, or credit?”

“Oh, we can do cash,” Quan said, pulling her wallet out. “What's the damage?”

“Sixty-three dollars and fifty-five cents,” he said still smiling. “Is that your Chevrolet out there?” He asked, trying to make small talk.

“Yeah. It's a bit of a gas hog but it gets the job done,” Neo said, leaning on the counter.

“So where you ladies headed?” He asked.

“Oh, we're just enjoying the country road. Takin' 101 down to California. Bit of a vacation.” The potential said. “Just cruisin'.”

“That sounds like it could be fun.” He took the three twenties and the five that Quan handed him. He gave her back her change and pulled the key card from the desk drawer and dropped it into the activator before handing it to them. “Room twenty-three. Just up the stairs to your right. You ladies have a good night.”

“Oh, I'm sure we will,” Neo said, grinning at him. They moved off and headed outside. Neo made a quick circle of the building, making sure to give Cerri all the angles she could. They then made their way up to their room.

“Not bad, actually,” Quan said, looking around. She stepped over to the bed and sat on the edge. “It's actually pretty soft.”

Neo tossed her backpack down and looked at every corner of the room. “Doesn't look like we're being watched,” she said. She then grabbed one of the chairs in the room and dropped down into it, putting her feet on the edge of the bed. “Did you catch his reaction when he saw the cross?” She asked, tapping the silver.

“Yeah. He was subtle about it. Be he's definitely a suck-head,” Quan said. She got up and moved over, looking outside into the parking lot. “Looks like we're the only ones here tonight.”

“Well, then let's get this party started,” Neo said. “Cerri you on?”

“I hear you. I'm getting Rite to make the calls now,” Cerri said. “Give me five.”

Neo nodded and rose to her feet, pulling her assault vest out of her backpack. Quan pulled her long sleeve shirt off and kept only her body armor and her gloves on. She likewise removed her pants, keeping on only a pair of bike shorts. She decided to leave her boots on to keep from hurting her feet.

“Alright,” Cerri said. “We've got a list of occupied rooms.” She read the numbers off. Seven rooms in all. “You guys just gonna start going room to room?”

“That's the plan,” Neo said. “This is gonna be fucking epic.” She pulled her hair back and tied it into a tight ponytail. “Make sure you get my good side.”

The girls left the room, ready for war. They moved two doors down and knocked loudly. As soon as the door opened, Neo lifted her fist, showing the woman that answered the back of her MMA glove. It sported a large intricately embroidered cross-stitched into the leather.

The woman immediately hissed and recoiled. Neo smiled and lunged at her, bearing her to the ground. She appeared to be the sole occupant of the room. Neo drove her fist down across the woman's face, dazing her. She hammered her again and again, busting her nose, breaking her jaw and knocking teeth from her mouth. She then gripped her throat as she pulled a stake from her vest. “The name's Neo. Tell your friends when you get to hell, motherfucker.” She rammed the stake into her heart, dusting her.

Quan chuckled. “You look like you enjoyed that.”

“Fuck yeah, I did,” Neo said. “She was kind of a pussy, though.” They left the room and trotted along the balcony to the next.

They used the same ploy, knocking on the door. This time a boy in his late teens, possibly early twenties answered the door in a pair of sweats and no shirt. He was slender but looked to be in decent shape. Like the woman before, he hissed and stepped back when Neo showed him the cross. She blasted him in the gut with a hard kick that threw him backward into the side of the bed. A girl, no older than her, rose naked from beneath the blankets. She pulled the sheet up to cover herself. “What are you doing?” She asked, trying to sound terrified.

Quan sprinted across the room, grabbing her by the hair and touching the cross tattoo on her forearm to the girl's head. The vampire's skin sizzled as the religious icon made contact. “Well, look at that.” She slammed the girl's face into the wall with enough force to crack the wood and plaster. She then turned and threw the girl into the entertainment center, smashing the television and wood to splinters.

Neo meanwhile reached down for the boy. “Not a good day to be a bad guy,” she said, wrapping her hand around his throat.

He went game face and snarled. “Fuck you,” he said, gripping her wrist. He did his best to break her grip but found that she was stronger than him. “What are you? The slayer?”

“Oh, you ain't that lucky, motherfucker,” Neo said. She grabbed his pants at the waist and lifted him bodily, before flipping him over her head to throw him down on to the table, smashing it to tinder. He growled and clutched as his hurt back. “Yeesh. Bet that hurt,” she said, grinning.

Quan spun on her heel as the girl got to her feet. The reverse spin kick caught the vampire across the teeth, spinning her into the air. Quan lifted her leg up and dropped an axe kick across her ribs as the vampire rotated, hammering her into the floor. She snatched a stake from her belt and stabbed the demon, finishing her off. She looked at Neo.

The potential chuckled as the boy turned over and tried to get to his hands and feet. “Time for you to say goodnight, bitch.” She dusted him with a stake to the back.

They moved to the last room on the top floor. Since the tactic worked so well the previous two times, they employed it again. Knock, cross, and attack. The third room had one occupant. Neo busted the middle-aged man in the mush, staggering him back. She drew back to punch him again. He ducked below the attack and delivered a hard and fast left shot to her ribs. As she dropped her arm to protect her abdomen, his right came around with a hook, rocking her face to the side. She became the one that was staggered back.

Quan stepped into the room with her hands up. “You must have been a boxer before you died.”

“Golden Gloves Champ, nineteen seventy-three,” he said, smiling. “Bet you weren't expecting that.”

“No, we weren't. You can definitely box.” Quan quickly kicked him in the crotch. “But this ain't the fuckin' ring, Ali.”

Neo grabbed a chair and smashed it across his back. “This is the  _fuckin'_  streets, asshole. Ain't no rules here,” she said as he dropped to the carpet. She spun a broken piece of wood in her hand and hammered it home. She rose back to her feet and rubbed her jaw. “Damn, that son of a bitch could hit.”

“You alright?” Quan asked, looking at her jaw.

“Yeah. Fucker just rung my bell.” Neo grinned. “That's what I'm talkin' about.”

The bigger woman laughed. “Something wrong with you,” she said, pushing the girl's head aside, playfully. “Let's keep going. Four more rooms.”

They took the stairs and made it to the bottom floor…to see four vampires step out of a pair of rooms. They'd gone game face and apparently weren't going to wait for the fight to come to them.

Neo pulled a pair of stakes and spun them in her hands. “Oh yeah!” She said, grinning. She ran headlong at the monsters, happy as a clam.

The four demons rushed at her, snarling. She dove into a shoulder roll, slamming into their legs, causing two of them to tumble forward. The other two managed to jump over her.

Quan was a few paces behind her. As the vampires leapt into the air to avoid the potential, the larger girl was there to meet them. She was airborne, executing a tandem front straddle kick, catching both vampires in the face with her massive boots. They were sent flipping through the air to crash unceremoniously to the stone. Quan landed beside Neo as the girl sprang to her feet.

The vampires that had tripped over the rolling form of Neo rose as well. Each of the hunters took a demon one on one.

Neo batted the monster's blows aside, barely keeping ahead of him. She was able to answer back with a hard backhand that snapped his face back. She shot a fast kick to his thigh, pitching him forward. She drove a fist into his gut then hammered him in the back with a stake, dusting him.

Quan caught the vampire's fist and slammed his elbow against her forearm, breaking it in two. He growled as the joint pulled out of socket. She then delivered a half dozen hard elbows to his ribs, breaking them with each strike. Finally, she caught him with a backhand to the face, dazing him. Finally, she turned and threw him against the post supporting the balcony above. She plunged the stake home a heartbeat later.

The two vamps that had eaten Quan's giant boots finally found their footing. The girls attacked as one, each stabbing the vampires in the chest in tandem. They blew away in the night breeze. “Two to go,” Quan said, leading the way.

Neo ran and dove into a flying kick, smashing open the door. She suddenly felt bad for what she interrupted. Two women, one laying flat on her back, the other with her head between the firsts' legs were in the throes of passion. They both started as she crashed through the door. She noted with a grin that both were rather attractive. She shut the door after Quan had stepped through. She then crossed her arms. “Don't stop on my account,” she said, grinning and leaning against the wood.

“What the fuck are you doing in our room?” The girl on the bed asked, hostilely.

Quan pulled a canteen filled with holy water from her belt and opened it, splashing it over the pair. It immediately hissed as it came into contact with them. “You're vampires. We kill you for a living,” she said, putting the holy water back. “But you can keep fuckin'. You shouldn't die mid-coitus. That's just lame. We can wait.”

The pair went game face and lunged off the bed at the two hunters. Neo took two running steps and speared one of the girls to the ground.

Quan drew back and threw her stake, taking the second girl through the heart, dusting her. She moved over and sat down, waiting for Neo to finish with her vampire.

The potential gripped the vamp's throat and hammered her in the mouth repeatedly. Bit by bit, she knocked the vampire's teeth out. “Kinda hard to be a vampire with no teeth, huh?” She asked. She rose and lifted the vampire with her. “You know, a couple month ago, it might have been my pussy your tongue was buried in. Now? I got me someone really special. Which means…” She let the girl go and punched her as hard as she could in the chest, sending her flying across the room to slam into the wall. “I don't need you for anything but a punching bag.” She proceeded to pound the girl into lumpy marinara. Finally, she dusted the vampire. She was breathing heavily but couldn't deny how much fun she was having.

“One room left,” Quan said, turning toward the door. She almost reached it when it slammed open. A host of vampires began pouring into the room. A quick tally revealed a total of eight. “That's a lot of vampires.”

Neo reached back and pulled her bowie from its sheath. “Yeah, it is,” she said, grinning. She spun the blade in her hand. “Who dies first?” She asked.

Quan lifted her hands and readied herself for the fight.

“You two need help?” Cerri asked as she watched the gathered throng.

“Fuck, no,” Neo said. “This is what I've been waiting for.”

“Just don't get dead,” Cerri said. “None of us can sing for shit.”

The vampires ran at the pair, ready to tear them apart. Neo rammed her blade into the first vamp's neck, wrenching sideways, nearly taking his head off, leaving it attached by nothing but an errant flap of skin. She shoved him aside as he slowly crumbled to dust and put a boot into the next, forcing him back. She drove the stake in her right hand into his chest as he recovered, dusting him. A third vamp was on her in an instant, forcing her back against the wall. He had her arms in his hands and had them out wide, leaving her exposed. He went game face and leaned in to snarl at her. She immediately shot her head forward, taking his nose between her teeth and biting down, hard. He screamed and tried to pull away. She closed her mouth, taking his nose off. He drew back, gripping his face. She spat the gobbet of ruined flesh back at him and booted him in the crotch before ramming her stake in, taking him out.

In the span of fifteen seconds, three vampires had fallen by the wayside. “Seems tonight just isn't your night, boys,” she said, chuckling.

Quan wasn't as snappy or witty as the horde came at them. Her fists flew, taking one vampire across the jaw, sending him to the floor. The second earned the same fate, experiencing nothing but fireworks behind his eyes before he, too tasted the carpet. The third showed a little more caution and came in with his arms protecting his face…leaving his body exposed. A punishing snap kick taught him the error of his ways. He was thrown to the side, bouncing off of the wall of the room. As he staggered back toward her, she let fly with a massive right cross that threw him to the floor with his friends.

She spun and caught a fourth with a hard backhand that turned him completely around. She drove her knee into his back as she wrapped her hands about his chin, pulling backward. His spine snapped, sending a sharp crack into the room. He fell to the ground, gripping his back.

The last vampire slid to a stop as she watched the pair of girls decimate her companions in record time. She turned and ran.

“Where do you think you're going?” Neo said, flipping her knife over in her hand and hurling it with all her strength. The blade bit into the vampire's back, throwing her to the ground.

Quan made her way around the room, dusting the dazed undead. Neo, meanwhile strolled over to the girl, tore her knife free and flipped her onto her back. She knelt beside the girl and spun the weapon in her hands. “Now. You're gonna tell me how many of you there are in this city.”

“I don't know,” she said, softly.

Neo plunged the knife into the girl's chest, causing her to scream. “Wrong answer.”

“I really don't know.” The girl said. “I'm not lying, honest.”

“Ballpark it for me,” Neo said. “Give me your best guess.”

“Fifty, maybe sixty.” The girl offered. “Master tries to keep it under wraps. But people have gotten smart. They know what's going on. They adjust their lives to keep us from getting to them.”

“How many more of you are there in this motel?” Neo asked.

“Just me and Walter.”

“Is Walter the guy that works in the office?” Neo asked her. The girl nodded. Neo smiled. “Thank you for your cooperation,” she said, before putting the blade against the woman's neck and pressing, taking her head off. “Looks like we gotta see Walter.”

Neo kicked the door open, sending glass and wood all over the room. “Oh, Walter,” she said, moving inside. “We have a bone to pick about your motel.” She chuckled. “Smells like someone died.”

Quan moved in behind her. “I don't think he's willing to help us.”

Neo jumped over the counter and kicked the door open to the apartment behind the desk. “I'd like to speak with management,” she said, grinning.

He stood against the back wall of the room, looking scared. “Who are you?” He asked.

“I'm…”

“I swear to God, Neo if you say you're just the cook, I'm smacking you upside the head,” Quan said.

Neo turned to regard her. “Way to ruin the moment, Biker Slut Barbie.” She turned to look at him. “I was  _gonna_ say…you know what, fuck it. Don't matter now.” She stepped around the desk. “I need information. You play me straight and you live to see another moonrise.” She gripped his throat and lifted him from the ground. “Is your master named Părintele Noapte?” She asked him.

“How…how did you know?” He was genuinely curious.

“Because he's just made my shit list,” Neo said. “You're gonna do me a favor. You're gonna tell him I'm lookin' for him. You tell him that his time in this town is done. You tell him I'm comin'. And hell's coming with me.”

“Who…who are you?” He asked again.

“Revelations, motherfucker. I got me a pale horse and all kinds of death for fuckers like you.” She let him go and grabbed his arm, pulling it out wide. “I need to send a really clear message.” She then severed it with one quick strike of her blade. He screamed and fell to the floor. She tossed the limb to the ground. “The name's Neo. Tell him to ask around.”

Without another word, the pair left the motel, climbing into the truck and speeding away.

“He's gonna be pissed,” Quan said, chuckling.

“I hope so,” Neo said as she looked out the window. “This town needs a fucking enema.”


	6. Chapter 6

Neo and Quan pulled up to the RV park and came to a stop at the trailer. They climbed out of the Chevy and went inside. “Anything?” Neo asked Cerri as they entered.

“No. The place has been pretty quiet since you cleaned up.” The girl offered. “Oh, wait. Looks like your canary just left the cage. Probably to go and cry to daddy.”

“Good,” Neo said, moving to the fridge. “Give the fuckers something to think about.” She leaned back against the counter and sipped from the soda before putting it against her lip. “Christ, that boxer had some fuckin' juice to him.”

“Yeah and when he put up a fight, you damn near creamed your cargos,” Quan said, sitting beside her girlfriend.

“True.” The Potential said, chuckling. She looked at her watch. “I'm hitting the sack. Come on, British. Let's go relieve some stress.”

Talia sighed and smiled. “A Watcher's work is never done,” she said, rising from the table. “I'm bringing the first aid kit. I'll like to take a look at your lip.”

Neo stepped into the back room and shut the accordion style door that separated it from the rest of the trailer. She stripped out of her body armor, hanging it up before taking off the rest of her clothes. She sat on the edge of the bed and allowed Talia to fuss over her. “Did you have a good seat for the show?”

Talia nodded as she looked over the teen. “I did as a matter of fact. And I have learned that you are entirely too reckless.”

“Yeah, I know. Took a few shots I probably didn't need to.” Neo conceded. “Can't help it, though.”

“True. But proper martial arts training would have helped you. Look at Quan. She barely got touched.”

“Can't argue that. She's all precision and shit. She's a scalpel. I'm a fucking wrecking ball.” Neo admitted. “Gotta train more, I think.”

“Always room to improve,” Talia said, cleaning girl's lip with a cotton swab and alcohol.

Neo tried not to twitch. “You're using alcohol and iodine to teach me a lesson, aren't you?” She asked.

“How very astute of you,” Talia said, continuing her work.

“I'm not gonna die on you, you know,” Neo said. “I know that for a fact.”

That stopped Talia. She looked at the girl and cocked her head. “How can you possibly know that?”

“I just know,” Neo said. “Until every single person I give a shit about is dead, I'm gonna be alive and kicking. It's just something I know to be true.”

“What makes you-,”

“Because I'm going to die on my knees in the dark alone,” Neo said, staring into Talia's eyes. “I know because when I'm about to die, I'm going to be afraid.” She shook her head. “And there's only one thing I'm afraid of.”

“What's that?”

“I'm afraid of being alive when I have nothing left to fight for,” Neo said simply. “Right now, I got you, I got the girls, and I got the respect that comes with being what I am and doing what I do. Until I lose all that, I'm not goin' anywhere.” She sighed and leaned back. “I'm gonna be the last man – or girl – standing. Just the way it is.”

“Awful presumptuous,” Talia said. “Given that there are girls in this world that are stronger, older, and faster than you.”

“True,” Neo said. “But name me  _just one_  that has  _my_  reputation.” She cocked her head to the side. “Then of those you  _could_  name, how many of them are human?”

Talia thought about it and honestly, in all her years and experience had never known one single individual that had the kind of reputation that Neo had when it came to the supernatural community. “I can't name anyone.”

“Exactly,” Neo said. “And think about it. I mean, seriously think about it. If I were to believe in the whole heaven and hell bullshit, where do you think I'd end up?”

“You'd be in heaven, Alice,” Talia said, matter-of-fact. “And there is nothing you can say that would convince me otherwise.”

“What in the fuck are you smokin'?” Neo said, raising an eyebrow. “You musta bumped your fuckin' head. There ain't a snowball's chance in hell I'd end up in heaven.”

“You are a warrior of light, Alice. You're doing-,”

“I swear to fucking God, if you say I'm going God's work, I'm gonna shout groceries on the fucking carpet.” Neo snapped.

“There's a saying…a very old saying. Not believing in the Devil won't protect you from him,” Talia said, sitting beside the girl. “In our line of work, we don't have the luxury of atheism. We  _know_  that there is a heaven and that there is hell.”

“You might-,”

“There are demons, Alice. Devil spawn walking the bloody earth.” Talia was surprised she was getting this reaction. “You know that just as well as I do.”

“No,” Neo said, rising to her feet. “I don't know that, Talia. I don't know that because I don't wanna know. I don't wanna be a part of heaven and hell's fucking  _jihad_. I'm a fighter. I kill shit that ain't human. That's it. I don't sweat where it came from because frankly, I don't give a fuck. They're monsters. That's all I know and that's all I ever wanna know. Different dimensions, different planes of existence, what the fuck ever. Anything beyond open heart, insert stake, I don't give two God damn shits.”

“That's a pretty narrow view,” Talia said, softly.

“Yeah, maybe it is,” Neo said, flopping down onto the bed. “But it's the view that's kept me alive for the past six years. I don't think any more or less about what I'm killing than I absolutely have to.” She looked at her Watcher. “I don't wanna save the world. It's too much. It's too big. I'm just doing what I can to protect my little corner of it. Yeah, I'll stray to help the rest of the pack now and again but I'm not a hero. I never wanted to be. I just wanted to do one of the three things I do best without having to worry about reining my shit in.”

Talia looked at her and just shook her head. “I worry about you.”

Neo regarded her. “I know you do. Part and parcel of being in love with someone, I guess. Our positions were reversed…well, I'd probably chain you up and stuff you in a closet to keep you from even approaching the retarded shit I do.” She chuckled. “I mean what me and Quan did tonight? That was just balls-out fucking stupid. We had the element of surprise on our side. That many vampires would have swarmed us and ripped us apart. We ain't gonna have that next time.”

“No,” Talia said. “Those were thugs. Second string newbies. A few veterans aside, they were the weakest crop. If the great Alice Frog is going to die, it's going to be with a mountain of dust about her and her sights set on a true Master. And even then…” She moved up and lay next to the girl. “My money is on you.”

Neo gripped Talia's waist and pulled her over on top. “That's a good bet.”

 

The sun fell across Neo's face, causing her to cover her eyes with her arm. “Fuck,” she said. “My fuckin' crotch hurts.” She turned to see Talia still snoring. The woman's arm and leg were draped over her. She sighed and brushed a bit of sweat-matted hair from the beautiful Watcher's face. “Love you,” she said, kissing the woman's forehead. She then extricated herself slowly.

Talia groaned and lifted her head, looking half-lidded at Neo. “Where are you going?”

“Grab a shower then hit the town and grab everyone some breakfast.” Neo leaned down and kissed Talia. “Go back to sleep, baby. I'll wake you up with food and coffee when I get back.”

“Okay,” Talia said, falling back to sleep immediately.

Neo showered, slid on a pair of cargo pants, her bra and a tank top. She left a note taped to the refrigerator and grabbed the keys to the Chevy before leaving the trailer. The sun had just crested the horizon. She checked her watch. Seven twenty-four AM. She nodded and pulled out of the parking lot and onto the main road. “Not a whole lotta choices,” she said, looking at the hours posted on the doors. “Here we go. Blue Moon Café.” She pulled to a stop in front of the small eatery. She climbed out and headed inside.

It was a nice enough place. The décor was kitschy but had a good somewhat down-home feel to it. There were, perhaps a dozen tables with a few people scattered here and there, drinking coffee, reading newspapers and just being small town folk. She noticed that everyone turned and regarded her as she came through the door. She was used to the attention and promptly ignored it. The front counter was made up of a large glass display case housing homemade pies, cakes, and various other pastries. Places like this actually appealed to her. Most of the time, they had good food, the portions were large and the prices were decent. She stepped up and began perusing the menu board.

“Welcome to the Blue Moon Café.” The girl behind the counter said, happily. “How can I help you?”

“You guys do take out?” She asked.

“We sure do. Take your time. Got a lot to choose from.”

Neo looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “You love what you do, don't you?”

“Of course I do.” The girl said, with a genuine happiness that was, frankly, starting to get on Neo's nerves. “I help the town wake up in the morning.”

As far as Neo was concerned no one but  _no one_  should be this happy in the morning. “All the coffee in the world wouldn't make me as happy as you are right now.” The potential said with a tight voice. She continued to look at the board. “Give me three of your double bacon cheeseburgers.” She pursed her lips. “Don't want fries. They tend to taste like shit cold.”

“We have a good potato salad.” The girl said. “I'll give you a small sample if you like. We get a lot of orders for it.”

Neo shrugged. “What the hell. Yeah, lemme try it.”

The girl nodded and went into the back, coming back out with a small Dixie cup filled with salad. It looked delicious. She took it and scooped it up in one bite, downing it. It was a bit on the tangy side but she liked that in a potato salad. There was also an underlying taste of…  _chemicals?_  Neo thought. She began feeling herself getting sleepy. She looked at the girl with her brow furrowed to see the cashier biting her lip. “You fucking bitch,” Neo growled.

The young lady was shocked beyond belief when even slowed by a powerful sedative, Neo snatched her by her long blonde hair.

Time slowed to a crawl. Several things happened at once. The patrons of the restaurant erupted in gasps, screams, and shrieks. Neo slammed the girl's face down into the display case, shattering the glass. The employee's flesh was shredded and bloody. Neo could feel her strength slowly fading. Whatever happened, she was gonna send a message. She lifted the blonde's head and drove it down again, ramming a large shard of glass up into the girl's throat. Blood erupted out over the ground.

As she staggered back from the case, the world became a blur. “Mother…fuckers.”

The diners all dropped the shades. Two hooded figures came out of the back, looking to take Neo down. The first of them ran at her full tilt. Neo shook her head, letting the adrenaline fight off whatever she was doped with. She stepped into him and knelt, driving her shoulder into his gut, gripping his legs and rose, throwing him up and over her. He slammed down onto a table, smashing it to flotsam.

Neo struggled to maintain her feet. A hard right cross from the second assailant nearly took her head off. She fell to her knees. In a moment of desperation, she punched her opponent in the crotch. He let out a strangled grunt and moved back. She lunged at him, spearing him to the ground. She landed on top of him and quickly gripped his throat, closing her strong fist around his windpipe. She was weakening rapidly now. In a last ditch effort, she ripped his throat out, spraying blood all over the room.

That was all she had. She slowly pitched over, watching as the room faded.

“Christ.” She heard someone say. “Bitch is tough. Let's get her out of here.” Then she heard nothing at all.

 

Talia stretched and yawned. Her nether regions throbbed. “Good lord,” she said, her voice hoarse. She rose and gathered a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and her undergarments before heading in for a shower. She made it quick as she didn't want to hog the hot water.

She made her way out to the main room to see the girls all standing and sitting around looking deadly serious. “I say, it's quite glum out here.”

They all regarded her. “Neo's not back yet,” Sadiira said, sternly. “This isn't like her.”

“And her cell goes straight to voicemail,” Cerri said.

“Perhaps she forgot to-,”

“She doesn't forget,” Cerri said. “Neo's a stickler about the big three.”

“Big three?” Talia asked. “Big three what?”

“Rules,” Quan said. She ticked them off on her fingers as she explained. “Never turn your cell off if you leave the group. Always take a weapon, and never go out after dark alone.”

“How long has she been gone?” Talia asked. “She said she was getting breakfast when she left.”

“She's been gone almost two hours,” Cerri said. “I started monitoring the police bands and calling medical offices an hour ago. The only thing I got was a disturbance at the Blue Moon Café.”

“What happened there?” Talia asked, moving closer. Lead filled her stomach.

“A female victim died. They aren't releasing the details yet but according to the prelims it's being ruled as an accidental death. An employee slipped and put her own face through a glass display case.”

“Bullshit.” Nadiira snapped. “It's Neo's doing. I know it.”

Talia nodded her agreement. “I think so as well. Any mention of Alice?”

“No. Nothing,” Cerri said. “I don't understand. During the day, she should have been safe. And if they did manage to get her, the building would have been trashed.”

“Is there any footage of the building?” Talia asked.

Cerri brought up the news feed. “This is all there is.”

Talia looked at the scene. She furrowed her brow and looked at Cerri. “What are the hours of this establishment?”

“Seven AM to Five PM,” Cerri said. “Good reviews, too.”

“If they open at seven AM…” Talia pointed to the front of the building. “Then why are their shades closed?”

“I didn't notice that before. You're right. That doesn't make sense. You'd think being a community that knows about vampires, they'd wanna keep as much light in the place as possible.” Quan offered. “Even in daylight.”

“Oh, shit,” Cerri said, rubbing her face in her hands. “I'm so sorry. I should have been monitoring her better.”

Quan stepped over and pulled Cerri in, hugging her. “It's not your fault, sweetie.”

Talia leaned back and thought. It didn't make sense. Why would the restaurant do that? “Cerridwen? We there any other victims? Anyone else missing?”

“Not from what I could tell.” The girl said, her voice very small.

“Buck up, dear. We don't have time to feel sorry for ourselves. We should have been more cautious. Nothing for it. Now we have to concentrate on finding our lost lamb.” She bit her lip and stared a moment. “Let's examine what we know.”

“Jack and fucking shit.” Cerri snapped. She looked at Quan. “Sorry.” She knew her girlfriend didn't like her swearing that much.

Quan smiled and hugged her again. “It's okay, baby. Right now, you got the right to cuss a little.”

“We actually know quite a bit,” Talia said as she began pacing. “We know that she went to that restaurant.” She pointed to the picture. “In your anger, you missed this.”

Cerri looked at her screen and nodded. “That's the front of the Chevy.”

“So we know she went there. It was also the only restaurant open at the time,” Talia said.

“But we still don’t know what happened to her,” Sadiira said, her voice ice cold and deadly calm.

Talia could tell she was already deep into planning. She nodded. “Yes, we do. It is obvious. If there is no mention of her either on the news or on the police scanner, then we can deduce that she was abducted. Given that more damage wasn't done to the establishment because let us face the facts. Alice would not go quietly or calmly.”

“Unless she was forced to,” Quan said. “Maybe they drugged her.”

“I thought of that. It seems to fit. But even the most powerful of sedatives take time to work.” Talia stopped pacing as something occurred to her. “Oh, bloody hell.”

“What?” Cerri said.

“The only victim was a human girl. There was no one else even hurt.” She looked at Cerri. “Am I right?” The girl nodded. Talia turned to the twins. “You two know ballistics and forensics, yes?” They nodded. “And if the girl 'fell'…” She made quotation marks in the air. “Through the glass case, it would have to have been with quite a bit of force to kill her, yes?”

“We think Neo killed her,” Sadiira said.

“But Neo wouldn't kill a human unless she had a damn good reason,” Nadiira said. “She'd have broken every bone in her body but she wouldn't have killed her.”

“I believe I know why she did,” Talia said. “The girl was a familiar.”

“What's that?” Cerri asked. “Isn't that what a Wizard or Witch's animal companion is called?”

Talia nodded. “It's actually an infrequently used term these days. Almost unheard of anymore. Another term for it is a human servant. People that devote themselves to a vampire, upon the promise of someday becoming one.”

“We've never had to deal with that before. Most people are just terrified of vampires,” Quan said. “There was that one group that were like, groupies.”

“It is very much similar,” Talia said. “And that puts all the pieces together. The most likely scenario was that Alice went into the restaurant and was poisoned somehow by this girl and fell victim to our young potential before she succumbed.”

“But what are the chances of someone knowing exactly when and where Neo would be?” Quan asked. “That's all a might convenient.”

“There are actually a couple of theories I have if anyone's interested,” Cerri said.

“Shoot,” Quan said.

“Option one; we’re being watched. She was followed and someone knew where she would be going and called ahead. Though how the restaurant staff was able to get a sedative so fast is beyond me,” Cerri said. “Option two, and as far as I'm concerned, the most likely, is that most if not all of the townsfolk are in on it.”

“That doesn't make any fuckin' sense.” Quan snapped.

“Better to be the devil's right hand than in his path,” Cerri said.

“She has a point. To survive the night, the people of this town, those that haven't been able to move away, have more likely as not formed some sort of truce with the undead element. Turn a blind eye in exchange for open access and operation. It  _does_  make sense if you think about it.”

“And here we show up and start ruining people's shit,” Quan said.

“None of this tells us where Neo is,” Sadiira said. “We've got the who, the what, the how and the why but we still don't have a where.”

“No,” Talia said, her voice finally starting to crack. “No, we do not.”

Quan stood and began cracking her knuckles. “Then let's start asking around.”

Talia looked at her and nodded. “I believe we should do just that.”


	7. Chapter 7

“Rise and shine… _Neo_.” A deep voice cut through the haze in her brain.

She blinked the blurriness from her eyes and sat up. She was in a small room. Maybe ten feet to a side. A single dim light sat inset in the ceiling in the middle of the room. She currently rested on a military cot against the wall opposite a large metal door with a single small window in it. The walls appeared to be stone, painted over in a dull gunmetal gray. The room itself smelled sterile. “Okay. I'm up,” she said, looking around. “You gonna tell me who the fuck you are, or do I have to guess?”

“I think you already know who I am.” He came in over a PA system. “Word on the street is you're looking for me.”

“Părintele Noapte, I presume?” She asked, looking about. She turned and leaned against the wall, resting her arms on her knees. “You know…” She said, suddenly looking down at the cot. “These things are surprisingly more comfortable that one would think.”

“Explains why the army sleeps on them.” He admitted. “I'm sure you have questions.”

“Oh, fuck tons. But if my read in the landscape is anything close to accurate, I'm the prisoner and you're the corrupt warden. Any question I ask is either gonna be met with a beat-down or some cryptic ass answer that I'm gonna be too dumb to understand. I may be the leader of Demon Queller but I sure as hell ain't the brains of the operation.”

“So you have nothing you'd like to know?” He invited.

“Okay. I'll bite. What do you hope to gain by kidnapping me? Worst thing you can do to me is turn me. Girls would have me dead inside of fifteen minutes.” Neo shrugged. “Anything short of that and it's a wasted exercise.”

“Oh, I have no intention of turning you. I intend to break you,” he offered his tone again humorous.

Neo immediately fell her knees in the middle of the room. “No. Don't. I'll do anything. Just stop the torture.” She got back up and sat as she was. “Done. Next?”

“Amusing,” he said with a chuckle. “But it isn't going to be quite that easy.”

“Didn't figure,” she said, sighing. “So let me ask another question. How, exactly are you planning on breaking someone who isn't afraid of anything? I mean, you get right down to it, that's what psychological destruction is all about. Finding what your subject is afraid of and exploiting it. I like pain, I love to fight, I'm not afraid of dying, and I don't have a conscience. What could you possibly hope to do to me?”

“Are you familiar with the phrase 'all things in moderation'?” he asked.

“Never been a fan of it myself. Find what you like and indulge. That's how I do it. That's how dad did it…and I gotta say, it's worked out pretty good so far.”

“Indeed. So I plan on indulging you. You say you like to fight.” The door suddenly swung open. She stared down a long hallway to what looked to be a fenced in enclosure. “Then fight you shall.”

“Let me guess. Gladiator shit until I get too tired and hurt to fight? Then one of your lackeys or  _you_  finishes me off slow and painful like?”

“But not before you beg me to kill you,” he returned.

“You're in for a long day, hoss,” Neo said, rising to her feet.

“I'm not getting any older.”

She sighed and shook her head, bouncing on her feet to loosen up. She pulled her tank top and ripped the bottom of it off, leaving her wearing a ratty half-top. She then tore the cloth into two strips and tightly wrapped her fists. She was still wearing her steel toe boots so she wasn't worried about her feet. “Christ. Walked right into that one. At least be cool and give me a stake. If I'm fighting vamps, give me a sporting chance.”

“Admitting weakness. I admire that in my prey,” he said. A long wooden stake dropped from the darkness above, clattering to the floor. “Good luck, _Alice_. You're not in wonderland anymore.”

“Oh, God. Really?” she asked, looking up. “You just had to go there, didn't you?”

“Admit it. If I didn't make at least  _some_  sort of reference, you'd have been disappointed,” he offered lightly.

That actually made her laugh. “You know, you're probably right.” She strolled down the hallway and into the large circular enclosure. It was perhaps twenty feet in diameter and surrounded by a chain link fence that was capped with a razor wire dome. “Home Depot must love you,” she said, looking around. She could see video cameras surrounding the fence. The whole construction seemed to be inside some sort of basement. Across from the hallway she entered, was another door set at the back of a long corridor. “Round one, I assume?” she asked.

“Indeed,” he said. “Ready yourself.”

The door at the end of the opposing hall opened. A girl no older than her screamed and ran through the hallway at full speed. Neo was a little confused. For a vampire, she was moving catastrophically slow. She waited as the girl drew closer and closer. When she was within but a pair of paces, Neo went to work. She took one step forward, one to the side, and delivered a hard, brutal uppercut that caught the poor girl in the chin. Her opponent flipped into the air and slammed to the hard concrete floor.

Neo turned to look down at her, ready for her to bound back up. She frowned as she noticed that the girl was staring lifelessly at the ceiling. She was laying on her stomach. “She was human,” she said, matter-of-fact.

“She was. Congratulations. You just murdered someone,” he said, obviously happy with himself.

“Huh,” Neo said, walking back toward the door. “Wouldn't be the first time.”

“Oh, we aren't finished yet,” he said. “That was just your warm-up. Your real opponent is coming into the arena now.”

Neo turned to see a woman slightly taller than she was with a bit of muscle on her. She had to give credit, she was pretty. “And who might you be?”

“Your executioner.” The girl said. “I've been told all about you.” She shook her head. “I'm not impressed.”

Neo bobbed on her feet and rolled her head around on her shoulders. “They never are to start with. If vampires are later, I wouldn't know. They're dead by then.”

“I won't be,” the woman said, squaring off. She had some martial arts training, this one. “Say when.”

Neo sighed and crossed her arms. “When.”

The vampire came closer, inch by inch. “You aren't going to defend yourself?”

“What's the point?” Neo asked. “I kill you, there's just gonna be another one right behind you. I can prolong the inevitable or I can just say fuck it and let you kill me. Either way, I'm dead.”

The vampire stopped and got out of her defensive stance. She died a second later as Neo plunged the stake into her heart. “Idiot.” The potential said, shaking her head.

She sighed as another vampire came running at her. This one looked fresh off the varsity football team. He was even wearing a blue and white letterman jacket. She held the stake ice-pick fashion, waiting for him. He growled and stormed at her with a vengeance. He was pretty thick and had a good run. She waited until he was close and lunged at him, spearing him to the ground. The impact made her shoulders numb but she managed to take him down. She quickly drew back and hammered him in the throat with her left fist.

Even dead, most vampires, unless they have several years under their belt, still react to having their necks damaged. They forget that they don't need to breathe. He did exactly as she expected. He gripped his throat. She realized that she had to buy time for the girls to find her. She was certain that they would, she just needed to stall long enough for them to do it. She tucked her stake into the back of her pants and used her fists.

The vampire could do little more than cover as she pounded every part of him she could find. Bones broke as she clobbered him. He didn't expect her to be anywhere near as strong as she was. She rose and backed away from him, leaving him on the floor in pain. She circled him, waiting for him to rise. He got to his hands and knees, coughing.

She delivered a punishing kick to his gut, lifting him from the floor and dropping him on his back. She didn't spare any words. She just continued to move. “Come on, girls. Anytime now,” she said to herself. She put a boot to the vampire's head as he again tried to rise. “Seriously. Any time.”

 

Quan didn't say a word as she drove the large blue Ford through the streets. She could see eyes watching her as they moved along. For hours they'd been asking through town. They started with the employees of the Blue Moon Café. Cerri had tracked them all down and one by one, Quan had asked them, some a little harder than others where Neo was. That only led them to the motel. Given that they killed every vampire they saw there, they had nothing.

Quan then drove to Fat Dog Pizza. The worker there seemed to be in the know. She and Talia went inside as the twins waited in the truck. She was glad to see him working the counter. “I need to talk to you,” she said to him.

He shook his head. “I'm working,” he said, moving into the back.

She growled and hopped the counter, following him into the kitchen. Talia was right behind her.

“You can't be back here,” he said, panicking.

“Look. I'm not here to rattle your cage. I just need some help. My best friend was kidnapped this morning. I need to know where she was taken. I know you know.”

He shook his head again. “I don't. If they have her, then she's dead already.”

“You obviously don't know Neo,” Talia said. “If she were taken and they wanted to turn her, where would they take her?”

“Probably the hotel,” he said. “I don't know anywhere else they operate out of.”

“Would anyone else know?” She asked him. “Please. My friend, her girlfriend is on borrowed time.”

“I really don't know. Maybe the Mayor?” he said, uncertain. “I mean she would have to know, right?”

“The mayor,” Quan said, simply. “We'll ask nicely. Bitch doesn't say what I wanna hear, I stop asking nicely.” They turned and left the restaurant.

“Sounds like a plan,” Talia said, cracking her gloved knuckles.

Quan explained everything to the girls as they pulled to a stop in the parking lot off to the side of the building. She waited for several minutes. She then reached up and tapped her earpiece. “You two in position?”

“We are,” Sadiira said. She looked to her sister who lay on the roof beside her with the M-107 sniper rifle pointed at the city hall. “We're both looking right at you,” she said, looking through the scope of her own matching weapon. “Things get too hot, we got you covered.”

Quan nodded and stepped out of the truck. She was currently dressed head to toe in the black body armor with her fists covered with her reinforced martial arts gloves. Talia was likewise outfitted. “Cerri? You monitoring police traffic?”

“Yeah. They’re actually really interested in the pair of you. They're patrolling but have an alert advisory in effect. I talked to Rite. She's patched me into the traffic light systems. I can slow em' down but I won't be able to stop them for long.”

“That's why they have us,” Sadiira said. “And I have no problem wounding corrupt cops.”

“They're not corrupt, they're just scared.” Cerri reminded her.

“Semantics.” Nadiira shot back. “Either way, they interfere, they're eating a bullet.”

“Cut the chatter,” Quan said. “Game time.” The pair of women entered the building. It was a rather simple layout. The big woman didn't waste any time. She ignored the guard at the front desk and made her way to the directory on the wall.

“Excuse me,” he said, stepping over to her. “Can I help you?”

He was caught completely off guard as she gripped his head and slammed it into the wall, cracking the stone-effect covering. He fell limply to the ground. She reached down and lifted his pistol. She ejected the magazine, slid it into her pocket and pulled the slide off, tossing the pieces in opposite directions. She never said a word.

Talia watched the fluid movement and shook her head. “Amazing.” She offered simply.

“Here,” Quan said, pointing. “Come on.” They turned and ran up the stairs. They reached the second floor to see people moving about and working. They ignored the employees and made their way directly to the office at the far end of the workspace.

Talia noticed, with a touch of humor, that no one was trying to stop them. With a woman as large as Quan, dressed as she was, she couldn't blame them. The pair made the door and pushed it open. They entered a receptionist's office. A woman in a mango colored blouse sat behind a desk typing away on a computer. “Can I help you?”

“I'm here to see the mayor,” Quan said, moving past the woman to the door with 'Mayor' etched on the placard.

Talia was actually rather shocked when the woman shot from the seat and intercepted Quan. She stood with her arms spread in front of the door. “I'm sorry but you'll have to make an appointment.”

“Look at me,” Quan said, her voice cold as ice and sharp as honed steel. “Do I look like I'm in the mood to book a fucking appointment? My best friend is missing. She was abducted this morning from the Blue Moon Café. I'm going to find out where she was taken or I will tear everything and everyone in this town apart.” She leaned into the woman. “Do you understand me?” She paused a moment. “Now move. You don't and I'll use your face as a battering ram to get this door open.”

The woman swallowed. “I-I'll lose my job if I let you past me.” She was terrified at the threat of bodily harm but the fear of losing her job scared her even more.

Quan growled and gripped the woman's shirt. “Fine, have it your way.” She thrust the woman aside, deciding not to redecorate the door with the secretary's brain. She landed in her chair and rolled across the room. Quan kicked the door open, sending it away in a hail of shrapnel.

The Mayor, a woman in her mid-fifties, sat behind the desk, suddenly terrified out of her skin. She had a head of short graying hair, rosy cheeks and a rather matronly look to her. The nameplate on her desk read Susan Eggert. “Wh-who are you? What are you doing in here?”

“Cut the bullshit, Susan.” Quan snapped. “My friend went missing this morning from the Blue Moon Café. I wanna know where she is.”

“I don't know what you're talking about.” The woman said.

Quan gripped the side of her desk and hurled it against the wall. The bookshelves were smashed to bits, raining books down onto the floor. “I'm not gonna fucking ask again, bitch!” The big girl screamed. “Tell me where they fucking took her!”

“I don't…”

Talia interrupted her. “We know about your vampire problem, Mayor. More importantly, we know that  _you_  know. Now, our friend was drugged and absconded with earlier today. We aren't blaming you for that. We are only seeking to find her. If you help us do that, we can then see about eliminating the vampire threat from this town once and for all.” She then thumbed to Quan. “If she has to look the hard way, there won't be a town left.”

Susan was in a quandary. “We…” She sighed and lowered her head, burying her face in her hands. She began sobbing. “I know about them.” She looked up. “You have to understand, I have to protect the people in this town the best I can. So we made a deal. The vampires can have the tourists and visitors of the town but they leave the population alone. But that doesn't stop them from recruiting. They've gotten stronger over the past few years as we've gotten weaker. We have a truce. They won't kill us, we won't kill them.”

“We came into town and broke that truce,” Quan said, nodding.

“What you did at the motel made them angry,” Susan said. “They took your friend as payback.”

“Where did they take her?” Quan asked her. “You tell me and we'll end this all for you.”

“I don't know where they took her. Honest, I don't,” Susan said. “But I think I know someone that does.”

“You've got company,” Sadiira said from her vantage point. “Patrol car. You want me to slow it down?”

Quan nodded. “Just the rig. Don't touch the driver.” She then looked down at Susan. “Name.”

She scratched the name onto a piece of paper. “I hope you can help us.”

Quan was cut off as a series of thunderous reports sounded from outside. The big girl moved to the window. A squad car sat in the street with two officers hunkering down as the pair of girls turned their car into swiss cheese around them. They stopped firing for a moment. The officers were able to get out of the car and make for the front of the building. A moment later a grenade bounced under the rig. The resulting explosion lifted the car from the ground and blasted out all of the windows. The hulk came back to the asphalt burning. “Time to go,” she said, turning from the window.

“Both officers are inside the lobby,” Sadiira said. “I don't have a shot.”

“That's alright. What are they using?” Quan asked, running out of the office.

“Glock 17. Nine mill.”

“Our vests can take that.” The big woman said, simply.

“There's roof access,” Cerri said. “When you get the stairs, go up. There should be a maintenance hatch.”

“Good lookin' out, baby,” Quan said, following the girl's instructions. They made it to the roof just as the officers made the stairs. “There any way down from here?”

“You can take the fire escapes down the rear of the building. They lead to an alleyway. There's no one there at the moment,” Cerri said. She flipped over to the internal cameras of the building. “The cops are both heading for the roof.” She typed in a few commands. Suddenly the fire alarm inside the building went off and the sprinkler system activated. “I'm buying you as much time as I can.”

“Then let us make the most of it,” Talia said, following behind her larger counterpart. “Move your arse, Anna.”

They reached the edge of the roof and jumped, landing hard on the metal foyer fifteen feet down. Talia ran down the stairs while Quan simply hung over the railing and dropped to the next level. She quickly descended to the ground. “Showoff,” Talia said as she ran down the steps.

Soon they were on the move again, heading around to the Ford. The twins were sprinting from across the street and they all converged. In a few heartbeats, they were off down the street with the burning police car in their wake. “She gave us the address of someone who might know where Alice is,” Talia said.

Quan sped all the way. The drive took them far out of town to a rather run down looking mobile home. “This is the address,” she said, looking around. They drove into the rocky driveway and stopped. The home itself looked to be in a bit of disarray, as did the property surrounding it. But strangely, the workshop beside the home appeared to be brand new construction. The massive door on the front was secured with a heavy chain and a large padlock. “What was this guy's name?”

Talia looked at the paper. “It says his name is Gregory.” She looked at Quan. “No last name.”

“It's not Gregory.” A hard, raspy voice called from the front door of the home. “It’s Gre _gory_. It's Russian.” They turned to regard him. He was easily Quan's height but she had him by almost forty pounds. He had a mop of short messy gray hair on his head and serious, intense blue eyes. His face was exhibiting a few days growth of a salt and pepper beard and mustache. He was currently dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that had more stains on it than a movie theater carpet. Despite his age, they could tell he was in excellent shape. “Not that I ain't a fan of having a group of fine-lookin' ladies around but what the fuck are you all doing on my property?”

“Mayor Eggert said you might know something about our friend. She was taken this morning. We need to find her,” Quan said.

“Lady? If your friend was taken, she's already dead,” he said. “Forget about her and go home.”

“We can't do that,” Talia said. “Please. Just tell us where they would take her.”

“There ain't nothing you can do,” he said, shaking his head. “They wanted her and they got her. Given what y'all did last night, be thankful they didn't take all of ya.” He turned and went back into the house.

Quan snarled and ran up, forcing the door open. He turned just in time for her fist to grip his shirt and slam him back against the wall. “Listen to me, grandpa. You're going to tell me everything you know or I'll-,”

“You'll what?” He asked, staring at her. “Kill me? Go right ahead. Bastards already took everything else from me. I got nothin' left to lose.”

That stopped Quan in her tracks. She released him and stepped back. “What do you mean? What did they do?”

“My wife and my daughter. One of the motherfuckers broke in here about three years ago. Apparently, when my wife was in the kitchen, my daughter invited him in. She was only five. He drained 'em both dry and left 'em.” He looked over at a bookcase. “He didn't just take my family. He took my faith.”

The remaining girls had entered the house and saw what he was regarding. A photograph rested there with the man in Pastor's regalia. The white collar was draped around the photo. “I haven't set foot in the church since.”

“As trite as this may sound, we are sorry for your loss,” Talia said, sincere emotion in her voice. “You can help spare us that kind of pain. Tell us where we can find her.”

Sadiira and Nadiira stepped up and regarded him. “Why haven't you killed yourself? Why not let them kill you?” Sadiira asked.

“Because suicide won't let me see them again,” Gregory said, simply. “And if I just let them kill me, then how disgusted would my wife be with me that I didn't live for her?”

“How disgusted would she be if she saw how you were living now?” Nadiira said. “He didn't take your faith, Father.” She leaned in closer. “You gave it away.”

He glared at her. “Awful lotta balls comin' into a man's home and-,”

“If you were a man, I might be more inclined to show some respect. But you're not. You're a God damn coward that abandoned the only thing that you had left. You _wanted_ to have nothing to lose. It's easier.”

“What do you know about it?” he asked her.

The entire group was stunned. Aside from Sadiira, this was the most any of them had ever heard her say. Nadiira turned and lifted her shirt, showing the mass of scars across her back. “Take a good fucking look.”

“My God,” he said, reaching out to touch them. “How strong are you to have this and yet show so much courage?”

“The scars on the inside are far worse,” Sadiira said, softly.

“Wow, do I feel like an asshole,” Gregory said. “There's an old abandoned livestock warehouse out on Brookfield Avenue. If she's alive, hell if she's dead, that's more than likely where they'd have taken her.”

“She'll be alive, trust me,” Quan said. “Neo's a fighter.”

“You know the saying God works in mysterious ways?” Talia asked him. He nodded. “Think about that, Father, when you read the newspapers tomorrow.” She pecked him on the cheek and left the house with the rest of the girls.

He watched them climb back into the truck and pull away. He shook his head and closed the door. “Lord, protect those girls. For they battle the darkness of hell itself.” But something told him that such things were old hat to the girls in the Ford.


	8. Chapter 8

“You have twenty minutes.” The voice said to her as she walked into the cell she'd awoken in earlier. “I suggest you use it wisely.”

Neo flopped down onto the bed and sighed heavily. “I'll take it,” she said, laying back. She'd fought and killed six vampires so far. Each of them were faster and stronger than the last. Her fists ached. She lifted her hands and flexed them. They cracked in response. Blood soaked the makeshift wraps she'd made for herself. Granted, very little of it was hers but what was hers came from her barked and split knuckles. Her body was sore but she was used to that. She'd taken a few shots to the face. Her lip was still bleeding and her nose was more than likely broken. Despite all of that…she was smiling. This was the most fun she'd had in a long time.

She steadied her breathing and reached up, touching her nose. “Yeah. That's broken,” she said, softly. She gripped it and pulled, resulting in a soft wet _crunch_. “Fuck,” she said, tightly. She could tell that it had been put properly in place. “That sucked donkey cock.”

“You are an incredible girl, you know that?” The voice offered after a few minutes. “Those that you have been fighting have been some of my best. You aren't a slayer. But…I don't believe you are completely human, either.”

“I'm a potential slayer,” Neo said. She didn't see a reason to keep secrets. The way she saw it, she was either gonna be dead by the end of the day or he was. So nothing he learned about her was going to do him any good. “Way I figure it, something has to set me apart from other girls, right? Powers that be just don't pick our shit at random. Gotta be a reason.”

“I've researched you, Alice Frog,” he said. “Your father and uncle have quite the resume.”

“Yeah, dad and uncle Alan were pretty hardcore. I mean, I never saw them fight a vampire before but given that they're both human and have been doing it for at least thirty years kinda says something.” Neo offered. “You lose anyone to them? Is that why you have me?”

“No. Well, not directly. I captured you for what you did to those at the motel. You took quite a few from me.” He returned.

“Just doing my job, Hoss,” Neo said. She then chuckled. “I'd like to say it's nothing personal but that's bullshit and I think we both know it. I enjoy the hell out of it.”

“Oh, I'm sure you do. But you won't enjoy what's coming next,” he said.

“Lemme guess. Two on one round?” She asked him.

“How very perceptive of you. And they're under orders not to kill you right away. They're going to punish you, first.”

“Yeah. Figured,” Neo said. “Do I at least get the privilege of killing both of them before another pair come at me?”

“I'll grant you that small mercy.”

“I appreciate it,” she said. “How long you been a vampire, anyway?”

“Trying to build a rapport?” He asked.

“Not really. Just passing the time,” she said, shrugging. “You don't wanna tell me, that's cool.”

“Let's just say I fought for the south,” he said, simply. “We lost.”

“You're American?” She asked, somewhat surprised.

“My parents were both Romanian. They came to America to homestead. Even in Romania, the American dream was desired above all.”

“How old were you when you were turned?” Neo asked him, sitting up. Her entire body hurt.

“Twenty-six,” he said, softly. “I watched my sire kill my parents before my eyes. It was just after the war. March 23rd, 1865.”

“That sucks,” Neo said, sincerely. “Sorry to hear that.”

“You sound like you actually mean that.”

“I do. No one should have to see that shit. Don't matter what you are now, back there and back then, you were human. You loved your folks. Some ass-hat killing them because he thinks it's funny and making you watch for added kicks is just bullshit. Tell me you greased the fucker.”

“I killed him four minutes after I rose.” The voice said. “It was gratifying but hollow.”

“Made you feel better but you learned what they always say about revenge is true. It won't bring them back,” Neo said. “I know how you feel.”

“Have you lost someone close to you?”

“I'd like to say yes but the truth is the only friends I've really ever had are the girls. Kinda sad when you think about it. I mean, I got Alexia and them from the website. Her, Kat, and Faith are pretty awesome. Then there's Max, Shelby, and Steele…”

“Wait a minute. Did you say Steele?” He asked. “Steele Payne?”

“Yeah. Big ass bitch. Drives a big blue Pete. Uses a lot of guns,” Neo said. “You know her?”

He was silent for a very long time. Suddenly the door to the cell opened. “It is time.”

“Was it something I said?” She asked, rising to her feet. She shook her arms and bounced on her feet. She spun the stake in her hand and nodded. “Time to dance.” She made her way out into the arena. Two vampires, both looking like they just stepped out of a Gold's Gym waited for her. “Wonderful,” she said. “This is gonna hurt.” She eyed both of them as they went game face. “I don't suppose you guys would just let me get by with suckin' your dicks instead, would you?” They chuckled as they strode forward. “Didn't think so.” She readied herself for them. She knew full well that they would be stronger, faster, and tougher than she was. “Come on Quan,” she said to herself. “Come save my ass.”

The first of them struck, looking to take her head off with a hard right cross. She was glad to see he wasn't quite as agile. If she could capitalize, it would be her only saving grace. She ducked below his punch, dropping to one knee. She punched him as hard as she could in the balls. He growled and gripped his crotch, staggering back. She quickly rolled away from the pair to give herself some breathing room. She was a dead bull with her ranged game. She could easily pop one of them in the chest with her stake. The only problem was, she only had the one. And she was pretty damn sure that her captor wasn't interested in making things fair. If she lost the one stake she had, she didn't see herself getting another one any time soon.

The second slab came at her with a roar. And he was obviously a more well rounded supernatural gym rat. He gripped her shirt and lifted her from the ground, slamming her back against the chain-link wall. She had to struggle to keep her hold on the stake. The impact rattled her teeth in her head as it was. He held her aloft and drove a hard shot into her ribs. She felt bones break. He drew back to lose another punch. She slammed her stake down into his eyes, one after the other.

The vampire screamed and backed away from her, dropping her to the ground. She landed and her knees buckled. Pain wracked her body every time she tried to draw a deep breath. She wrapped her arms around her chest and compressed. She felt the bones grind and crunch, returning to their proper place. “Fuck,” she said, hacking. A thick gobbet of blood smacked onto the concrete. She looked at the vamp. He was staggering about, unable to see. She ran at him and leapt, jamming the stake home. He was dust a heartbeat later. She landed and fell to the ground.

A strong hand closed around the back of her neck and lifted her from the floor, hurling her across the ring. She hit the concrete with a hard slap and rolled against the side of the cage. She climbed to her feet and turned the see the last vampire coming at her. She could hear ringing in her ears. She shook her head rolled out of the way as he lunged at her. He crashed into the wall, bouncing backward. She dropped and drove the stake into the back of his knee. She threw her hip into it and forced his leg to buckle. He fell to one knee, growling. She spun and stabbed him in the chest, dusting him.

As he disintegrated, she fell back against the wall, breathing heavily and grimacing in pain. “Two more down…” She said, winded. She heard the growl and saw two more enter the ring. Both were slender, tall and looked to be sisters. And each of them was carrying what appeared to be katanas. “Wonderful,” she said. “Looks like a title bout to me.” The ringing in her ears took on a deeper bass-like quality. She could almost feel it in her chest. And it was getting louder.

A smile slowly drew across her face.

 

Quan said nothing as she pulled up to the trailer in the big blue Ford. They all climbed out. Cerridwen immediately trotted inside. The big girl looked at the twins. “She's the most important thing in the world right now.”

Sadiira nodded. “We'll protect her. If anything comes at us, we'll be ready.” Nadiira nodded her agreement.

Quan turned to Talia. “You should stay here. Things aren't going to be pretty.”

“I'm going. I have to,” was all the woman said. Her tone left no room for debate.

“Fair enough,” Quan said, sliding behind the wheel of the lifted Chevy. She fired the rig up and tore out of the parking lot toward the location the good father had given them. “I want you to be prepared.”

“She could be dead already,” Talia said, solemnly. “I know.”

“Oh, it's not her being dead that scares me.” Quan turned and regarded the woman. “You know what I mean.”

Talia sighed heavily. She really didn't want to contemplate that. If Neo were to be turned into a vampire…terror gripped her heart like an icy fist. Just being a human she was impressive enough. But the girl's rage issues would be uncontrollable with a demon in residence. There would be no end to the horror she would wreak. “I can't think of anything on earth more petrifying than that.”

“We've actually talked about it,” Quan said. “She sat all of us down and spelled it out for us. If she gets turned, she wanted us all to promise to take her out as quickly as possible. No hesitation.” She cast a sideways glance at the Watcher. “You have to be prepared to do that.”

Talia didn't respond. Mainly because she wasn't sure if she could. “There are ways to avoid that.”

“No, Talia. That isn't how it's gonna work.” Quan snapped. “Neo made it perfectly clear. As a vampire, before any of us would have a chance to subdue her, she could do too much damage. She goes full tilt as it is. As a vampire, she won’t care about us, she won’t care about anything but mercilessly slaughtering everything she sees. While we’re busy being emotional train wrecks, she’ll be out there making the world’s worst mass murderers look like Boy Scouts. She wants to be dusted and she wants one of us to be the one to do it. You wanna be a part of this team, you gotta make that same commitment.”

Talia looked at her. “I don't think that black and white, Anna. Nor will I ever. There is a world filled with magic and supernatural elements that we've never seen and haven't considered. Until I have exhausted all of my resources, I won't give up on her.”

“There might come a time when you have to,” Quan said. “I just want you to be ready in case you ever have to look Neo in the eye and ram a stake through her chest. It's something we've all had to come to terms with.”

“I'll never be ready for something like that. What's more none of you should ever be  _ready_  for it. It should be the hardest thing any of you have ever had to do. The fact that you've all 'come to terms' with it is as terrible as it is disgusting.”

“Don't you dare sit there and judge us, Talia.” Quan growled. “You don't have that right.”

“Don't I?” She asked. “I've been with you all, what? A month? A touch less? In that short amount of time, I've fallen in love with Alice. I don't know why or how but there it is. I can't get her out of my head and want to do everything I can to make her happy. It kills me to see her as angry as she is. She's in a rage almost all the time. That hurts me in a way you can't even imagine. So don't  _you dare_  tell me what I have a right to do.”

Quan saw the large warehouse up ahead. “Hold onto something,” she said, sternly as she turned off the road and headed toward the massive white warehouse. She shifted gears and floored it.

“Are you doing what I think you're doing?” Talia asked.

“God damn right I am,” Quan said.

“How do you know this is the right warehouse?”

“Look at the rest of them. They all have windows.” Quan pointed to the one she was hurtling toward. “This one doesn't.”

“If that's where they have her, you could kill her by driving through there,” Talia said, putting her feet on the dashboard.

“Chance I'm willin' to take,” Quan said. She braced for impact as the Chevrolet bounced across the grass and dirt. She pushed herself back in her seat.

The impact was terrible. The white corrugated metal was no match for the heavy steel push-bumper of the diesel-powered juggernaut. The wall shredded in a squealing hellish cacophony. The truck skidded to a stop inside the structure. Light poured in from the hole they'd made.

Quan immediately stepped out of the truck, looking about. The warehouse was completely empty. “What the fuck?” She snapped. “Where the fuck is she?”

Talia climbed out of the truck and began walking about the enclosure. She looked around on the floor and stopped when she saw what she was looking for. “Here,” she said, pointing. “There's a door in the floor.”

Quan ran over and knelt, inspecting it. She gave it a pull. “It's locked.”

“I know an incantation…” She stopped when Quan drove her fist down into the middle of the portal, blasting the stone to gravel. “Or you could just use your freakish strength to smash it in.”

A set of stairs descended into the darkness below. Talia pulled her repeating crossbow from her back and cocked it. “You first.”

Quan nodded and trotted down the stairs without fear. She mentally called to the front the magical energy contained within the mystical tattoos that graced her enormous frame. She had a feeling that she'd need everything they could give her.

The darkness permeated everything. Quan could see in the dark just fine, thanks to one of her many enchantments. “Can you see anything?” She asked Talia. Her question was answered as a flashlight clicked on. “That answers that.”

The wound their way down a long hallway. Doors were to the right and left of them. They each had small windows inset. Quan quickly checked each one. They all seemed to be bedrooms. Each was tastefully appointed.

“Wait,” Talia said, putting a hand up to stop the big girl from moving. “I hear something.”

Quan strained to hear. “Sounds like…fighting.”

“It's coming from there,” Talia said, pointing to the end of the hallway. The pair quickened their pace. They rounded a corner and ran smack into a group of three vampires. The huge woman wrapped her massive hand about the first vampire's head and smashed it into the wall, crushing his skull like an overripe cantaloupe under the tire of a semi. He was immediately dusted. The other two vamps came at her, only to explode into a fine ashen powder as two crossbow bolts sailed past her and into the demon's hearts.

At the end of the corridor, there was a large metal door. Quan ran at it full speed. “You don't know what's in there!” Talia shouted, trying to match her stride.

Quan wasn't listening. She hit the door with her shoulder. It blasted off of its moorings and flew away in a twisted mass. She came to a stop in the middle of a large chain-link cage with a razor wire ceiling.

The three occupants of the ersatz fighting arena stared at her wide-eyed. Neo leaned against the wall of the cage, blood dripping from a massive wound across her abdomen. Her right arm hung limply at her side. She was breathing heavily and barely conscious. “Took…your sweet…time.” She offered with a smile.

With her in the cage were two female vampires. Both of which were armed with katana swords. Their initial shock worn off, they came at Quan fast and hard. She moved and ducked with an almost serpentine grace. “Talia. Get Neo out of here. I got these two.”

“Not…leaving you…to fight alone.” Neo growled. She wanted desperately to help her friend but knew she couldn't. Without the swords, she could have taken them both. But with the blades, they were just too damn good.

The Watcher ran to the potential. “Come on, Alice. Your time here is done.”

“Just tape me up,” Neo said, pointing to her stomach. “Please, Talia. I can't let Quan fight these fuckers alone.”

Talia sighed and shook her head. “You've got a death wish.” Wanting to be prepared in case they found Neo hurt, she'd packed a few things among her assault vest that would be useful to bandage the girl, should she need it. She lifted the teen's shirt and placed the gauze over the wound. “Hold this,” she said. Blood started soaking it immediately. She took a tube of  _cyanoacrylate_ out and pulled the padding away.

“Come on, Talia,” Neo said, her voice slurred.

“Be lucky I'm doing this for you at all, you brainless twat,” the Watcher growled. She squeezed a generous amount of the adhesive on the skin and used her fingers to press the wound closed, bit by bit. “This is going to pull and hurt like the blazes…” She looked up at Neo. “But I'm guessing you don't care about that.” She then put more gauze over it and used the tape to secure it around her waist.

Quan meanwhile was holding her own. She planted a huge foot into one of the vampire's chests while snatching her blade from her hand as she flew backward into the cage wall. The entire structure shifted under the impact. She spun the blade in her hand. The second vampire came on strong. The pair met with their blades clashing. Sparks flew as they collided.

“You won't beat me, girl.” The vampire said, in broken English. “I have been killing your kind since before your country was even founded.”

“Yeah, I've heard that before,” Quan said. She worked the blade beautifully. “But I know something you don't.”

“What is that?” The vampire asked.

“The girl that's behind you,” Quan said. “And how incredibly pissed off she is.”

The vampire did exactly as Quan expected. She cast a quick backward glance, believing herself to be fast enough to defeat any attack that the big woman could mount. She was wrong. She felt the slight pain in her neck…and saw her world become skewed as her head rolled from her shoulders to bounce along the ground. She was dust a second later.

The vampire Quan had put the boot to got to her feet and came at her, a long knife in her hand.

Neo nodded as Talia finished bandaging her stomach. “Now I need you to pop my shoulder back into place.”

Talia shook her head and stepped around the girl's right side. “You fought like hell today, didn't you?”

“Had to.” The girl said. She closed her eyes and nodded. Talia pulled, causing the joint to crack loudly.

“Christ!” Neo shouted. “Fuck, that hurts.”

“Here,” Talia said, offering her a pair of pills. “Chew these up and swallow them.”

“What are they?” Neo asked, taking them into her mouth. She did as the woman suggested.

“A homeopathic pain killer of my own making. It's fast acting and will dull the pain you are feeling.”

Neo nodded. “Nice.” She immediately started feeling stronger. “God damn, Talia. What's in this?”

“You don't want to know. The side effect is that you'll sleep for about two days after.”

“That's then, this is now,” Neo said. She was still stiff as hell but she had a second wind.

Quan tossed the sword aside and met the woman fist to knife. As the vampire came around with the blade to stab her, the bigger fighter caught her wrist and broke the vampire's arm across her elbow. The undead beast dropped her blade to the floor. Quan then beat the vampire into the concrete. Each strike of her fist caused the room to shudder.

Neo snatched up the sword and moved to the doorway. She knew more were coming. And she wasn't going to leave until she tookPărintele Noapte's head.

Talia wasn't happy. Not one damn bit. Neo might have been up and moving like she was right as rain but the truth was far different. She'd lost a lot of blood and had broken bones and internal bleeding. The potential was dying slowly. She needed a hospital. But she also understood that Neo wasn't ready to give it up and run just yet. She still drew breath. That meant she was going to finish what they started at the motel. Come hell or high water.

So she hoisted her crossbow and took position in the hallway next to Neo. “You're crazy, you know that?”

Neo chuckled. “Yeah, I know.” She readied the katana. The sound of boots on the concrete told them that they were in for a long day.

Quan took hold of the vampire's neck and lifted her from the ground. “Tell me where your master is and I'll kill you quickly.”

“Fuck you.” The vampire said, through bloody, bruised lips.

The huge martial artist began squeezing. “Tell me.”

“Drop dead.”

“You first,” Quan said, crushing her neck like a fist full of grapes. She threw the vampire down and jumped, landing with her boot on the demon's skull. The vamp dusted as her foot met the floor. She walked over and pushed past Neo and Talia. “We're leaving.”

“There's a hell of a lot of vampires coming this way,” Neo said.

“Good.” Quan growled. “You've been fighting all day. I'm not letting you fight anymore.”

“I can handle…”

“YOU'LL FUCKING DIE, NEO!” Quan screamed, whirling on her. “Look at her,” she said, pointing to Talia. Neo stared at Quan a moment. “I said look at her!”

Neo turned to regard Talia. The woman was deliberately not looking back. She was busying herself with her crossbow. She had tears in her eyes but said nothing. Neo's heart was suddenly heavy as she watched her. “God fucking dammit!” She said, angrily. “Fuck you, Quan,” she said. “You know what? Fine. Go be a fucking hero you inked up fucking piss-monkey.”

Quan knew she'd won. “I'm plowing the road. You've had your fun.”

“You going full tilt?” Neo asked. “You know what's gonna happen if you do.”

“We need to get out of here,” Quan said. “Cerri's got some of the elixir left.”

Talia leaned over to Neo. “What are you talking about?”

“Quan has magical tattoos. Some make her stronger, some faster, others make her more durable. She has to be careful, though. She can control how much juice each tat gives her. But it all draws on her inner strength. The more she uses, the more it drains her. To get us out of here, she has to go full hulk. At those levels, she's faster than Lexi, as durable as Max and as strong as Steele but it costs her. It could kill her if she goes long enough. Her limit is about ten minutes. Any more than that and she runs the risk of dying. As it is, even going that hard is gonna put her in a coma for about two, maybe three days.”

“What is this elixir she was talking about?” Talia asked.

“It helps replenish her chi, for lack of better term.” Neo returned. “Here they come. Watch this, babe. Gonna be Unicron attacking Cybertron up in here.”

“You are such a geek,” Talia said, shaking her head. But the girl was right.

The vampires could only come two at a time. Quan growled like an enraged beast. She took hold of the first vampire's head, and like before, smashed it against the wall. The next demon was caught with a boot and hammered him into the floor. The tunnel shook and dust fell from the ceiling as she stomped his head into paste. Two more came on. She spun kicked one of their heads completely from his shoulders. The other suffered a horrible fate as she took hold of his jaw and tore it clean off and jammed the end into his eye. He shrieked and backed away, blocking the others from coming on.

Those behind him shoved him to the floor, eager to carry out the will of their master. They saw a human girl. Sizable, yes…but human. But they soon learned that, though she appeared to be normal, she was capable of truly abnormal feats. She crushed and beat down demon after demon. She stepped past the mangled lumps, leaving Neo and Talia to stake and end them.

Quan could feel the terrible strain that going balls output on her. They made the stairwell and ran up to get to the truck. She crested the stairwell and caught metal across the teeth. She spun to the floor, dazed. No longer able to concentrate on the magic that permeated her, she lay there, unable to focus or move.

Neo pushed Talia back down the stairs and ran the rest of the way up, the katana in her hand. The Watcher tumbled to the floor. The crossbow clattered to the stone. One of the arms broke against the concrete. Neo leapt the last few stairs, swinging the blade to the right as she did so, forcing whoever was there to step back. She stood over Quan, her sword at the ready.

He was pretty. That was the only way she could really describe him. His black hair framed his elegant effeminate face. His lips were the kind that women who read romance novels dreamt of. His eyes were a perfect ocean blue. He was draped in a silk shirt with black leather pants and polished boots. In his hand, he held a beautiful basket hilt rapier. “Finally, we meet face to face, Neo.”

“Părintele Noapte,” Neo said, smiling. “I'll admit one thing. You're the prettiest man I've ever seen.”

“I'll take that as a compliment,” he said in a smooth voice.

“It wasn't,” she said, spinning the blade in her hand. “Do we sword fight now or something?”

“No,” he said, chuckling. “I kill you now.”

“I've heard that before,” she said, with a grin. “Bring it on, hoss.”

“You are fatigued. You've lost a lot of blood and are fighting just to remain standing,” he said, moving toward her.

“You're right. That makes us even,” she said, lunging at him. He slashed her across the forearm as she stepped past. She staggered and looked at her arm. The cut was deep and bleeding badly. “Nice shot.”

“You are slow and undisciplined with the blade. You have no chance. I have been doing this since before you were born,” he said to her.

She grinned at him and motioned toward his abdomen with her own sword. “Really?”

He looked down and frowned as blood began soaking his shirt. “Well struck,” he said, looking back at her. “But it is a glancing blow.”

“This time,” she said to him. He was right, however. She was exhausted and running on fumes. She was feeling incredibly faint and knew her reaction was slowed all to hell. She was by far the best sword fighter of the group. But given her current state, she knew she couldn’t beat him. But that definitely wouldn’t stop her trying. She stepped in again, this time with a bit more caution. She was tired as could be. He was fresh and moved like greased lightning. She fended off a few of his strikes but inevitably some found their way through. She didn't have a hope in hell. It was proven when he stepped behind her and slashed across the back of her leg, nearly hamstringing her. She fell to the ground and dropped the blade. She’d have easily been able to defeat the attack if she hadn’t been in such a bad way.

He kicked it aside and touched her throat with his rapier. “You have lost.”

“Yeah. You're good, pal. Damn good. If I were fresh and ready for the dance, it might have been different. But you forgot something.”

“And what is that?” He asked her.

She punched him in the balls, doubling him over. “You're in fucking America, asshole. We fight dirty here.” She managed to get her good leg under her and lunged, spearing him to the ground. She tried to pummel him into the floor but she underestimated his strength.

He gripped her hair and pulled her off of him, throwing her to the side. She was dazed now. She wanted to rise but her body was through listening to her. “Fuck me,” she said, tears in her eyes. “I sure as fuck didn't want it to end like this.”

Părintele got to his feet and lifted his sword. “And now the great Neo Knight dies.” He drew back and struck, looking to take her head. His sword descended, before halting with a ring of steel. He slowly turned to see Talia, Neo's Watcher, holding the katana in her hands.

“I don't think so.” The woman said, forcing him back. “Now that you're through toying with girls, perhaps you be keen on trying your luck with a woman.” She held the sword firmly before her.

“If the powerhouse and the potential have fallen, what chance do you think you'll have?” He asked, pointing his blade at her.

“Come forward and find out,” Talia said.

Come forward he did. His smaller blade moved rapidly. But Talia was by no means a stranger to bladed combat. She deflected his weapon at every turn. “Not bad,” he said. “For a human. But you will inevitably tire.”

“No doubt,” Talia said, smiling. “But I don't have to hold out forever.”

“No, I dare say this fight will be over long before that point.” He went at her again.

She gave him ground, making him chase her. She knew that he was faster and stronger than she was but she had literal decades of training on her side. She'd been studying the sword since she was a toddler. She was taught fencing by one of the greatest French masters. She learned Kendo from the Japanese and even Wushu in China. She was able to hold her own quite well. She defeated every attack her threw at her. “You give ground.”

“Only a fool attempts to force an opening,” Talia said. “Every novice student learns that their first day.”

He let fly with an intricate ballet of strikes. His speed was almost imperceptible to the human eye. And he was angered when this  _woman_  parried them all. “How are you doing this?” He asked, rage filling his voice. “You are human.”

“And I bet that just pisses you off, doesn't it?” Talia said to him. “That a typical woman like me is so thoroughly making a fool out of you.” She suddenly felt a vibration against her leg. She began moving slowly back toward the truck. “You want nothing more than to gut me and make an example out of me, don't you?”

He followed her eagerly. “I plan to do that and more, bitch,” he snapped.

She moved around to the back of the Chevy. The huge opening was to her left. “Then do it. If you can.” She stood ready for him. “I am tired of running.”

“At last. Something we can agree on.” He took a step toward her…and stopped as two thunderclaps sounded from outside at the same moment. His leading leg was blown off at the knee while his sword arm was severed at the elbow. He screamed and fell to the floor, blood spraying onto the stone.

Talia moved over and knelt beside him. “I forgot to tell you.” She smiled at him. “You fuck with one member of Demon Queller…” Sadiira and Nadiira stepped into the building, each holding a massive Barrett M107 .50 caliber sniper rifle.

“You fuck with all of us,” Nadiira said as they both took aim at his head and pulled the triggers. The vampire's skull disappeared in a hail of crimson vapor. The shots left pockmarks in the concrete the size of a grapefruit.

The three of them loaded Quan and Neo up and took off, heading for home.

Quan was none the worse for wear. She had a rather nasty bruise on her cheek where Părintele Noapte busted her across the face with his sword hilt but that was all. She was cleared by Talia and left for Cerri to fret over.

Neo, on the other hand, was a mess. She had three broken ribs, a bruised cheekbone, separated muscle her right shoulder, a broken finger and a host of cuts that would need stitches. The wound on her abdomen had to be reopened and sewn together properly. It was only by the grace of God that she didn’t have any internal bleeding.

Neo stared at Talia long and hard as the woman patched her up. “It isn't going to get any easier, you know.” Talia cocked her head in confusion. “Seeing me like this. This isn't the first time I've been tore up from the floor up. It sure as shit won't be the last.”

“I know,” Talia said. “It's a pipe dream and I am well aware of the fact.” She took Neo's hand. “Do I wish you would be more careful and take less risks? Absolutely. But I can't change who you are. This…” She motioned to the girl's body. “This is what you are. What you will always be. And settings like this will be a part of that. You'll be beaten and bloodied but never _broken._ You will never let anything stop you.” She sighed. “You'll never let your love of me, or my love for you stop you.”

“I want to. I'm not fuckin' with you, baby. I want to. I wanna give this shit up for you,” Neo said. “You know why I don't?”

“Because you enjoy it too much.”

“No,” Neo said. “I don't because this isn't just who I am.” She lifted the woman's hand clenched in hers. “It's who  _we_  are. You're a Watcher. You became one because you wanted to make a difference. You wanted to fight the darkness and put a boot in evil's ass. You couldn't give it up any more than I could. For each other, we both want to but that would be denying who we were.” She shook her head. “So we ain't gonna do it.”

Talia smiled and leaned in kissing the girl. “Very true,” she said, happily.

Neo, despite Talia’s protests, was up and about three days later. The change to the town was immediate. According to Cerri, the vampire problem had pretty much been solved. With the death of Părintele Noapte, the rest of his brood, those that weren't slaughtered at the warehouse, fled for the hills.

The girls played their concert to a capacity crowd of the High School Auditorium. The audience was a very raucous group. The girls gave an almost five-hour show. It was past dark by the time they finished their blistering set. No one seemed to be bothered by the fact that Quan and Neo looked like they'd had the hell beat out of them.

After the concert, they went back to the trailer and collapsed. It had been a hellish week.


	9. Chapter 9

_Neo strode through the fog, unsure of where she was or how she got here. She knew enough to know she was asleep and dreaming but nothing more than that. She could count the dreams she'd had that she could actually remember on one hand._

_This dream, this_ place _was important but she wasn't sure how or why. “Hello?” She shouted into the mists. “What the hell is going on?” She asked._

_The fog began to part, revealing a baked sand-filled sea of rolling hills and scrub grass._ _The sun crested the eastern horizon, painting the sparse clouds an ominous shade of red. She looked about as she ascended a small hill. She stood upon the rise and saw a minute valley below. At the foot of the basin burned a fire. She couldn't say why but she was drawn toward it. She felt the heat upon her. She pulled at the collar of her tactical armor and wondered when she'd put it on. Last she remembered, she was laying in bed beside Talia naked._

_She moved closer to the fire and could feel its heat more keenly. Something about it made her angry. She wasn't a hundred percent sure why. She saw something out of the corner of her eye, atop the hills about her. She snapped her eyes to the left and saw Steele standing with her thick arms crossed over her ample chest, staring down at her for a brief moment before she faded into nothingness. She looked at the crest of the hillock in front of her to see Buffy, her arms also across her narrow chest, eyeing her. There and gone. To her right sat Faith, crouched with her arms on her knees, holding a stake in her hand, twisting the point absently against her finger. Just as with Steele and Buffy, she disappeared. Behind her, Alexia stood with her long blade across her shoulders with her arms draped over it. She looked her with a crooked smirk before she too vanished._

_“What the hell is this place?” Neo asked, confusion evident in her voice._

_“It's where she wanted you to be. To finally meet you,” Kat said as she strode toward the girl out of the waves of heat rising up off the sand. She was clad in a light black dress that flitted loosely in the breeze._

_“Do you even own a dress?” Neo asked her._

_“Not one like this,” Kat said as she stopped a few paces from the girl. “She picked the attire. I'm her voice.”_

_“Can't she talk?” Neo asked. “She a mute or something?”_

_She felt the presence behind her. She fought the urge to turn around. From her periphery, she saw a figure. She was dark of skin and wore little save rags. A woman from Earth's distant history. Before any civilization. In a flash, she knew who she was looking at. The almost bestial way the woman moved, the strength rolling off of her like the heat from a fire. “The First Slayer,” Neo said, her voice barely a whisper._

_The woman nodded. “I came before all of you. Before all of them,” Kat said. The cave slayer motioned around._

_Neo turned to see hundreds, thousands of slayers standing, crouching, sitting atop the hills. She recognized her four friends amid the tumult. “But I'm not one of you,” she said, looking back at the Neander-slayer. “I don't fall in your food chain.”_

_The girl shook her head. “No.” Kat offered. “But you fight. You are what I am.”_

_“What's that mean?” Neo asked._

_Cave slayer stood and smacked her chest. She then stepped to Neo and thumped her chest. “The slayer is the spirit, the heart of the champion. It is more than just strength. All that you have inside is what makes you a slayer.”_

_Neo stepped forward and slammed her hand into her own chest. “I'm not a fucking slayer. The fucks that run this clown shoes operation have their way, I never will be.”_

_Again the cave slayer shook her head. “They're not always going to have the choice.”_

_“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Neo asked. “The powers that be_ told _me that I'll never be chosen.”_

_Cave slayer shook her head and pointed. Neo turned to see the pair that spoke for the powers standing a few paces away. “We never said that you would not be called, Alice Frog.”_

_“You do not need it,” Neo said, stalking toward the pair of them. “You are as strong as you need to be.” She was angry now. “You two fucktards sang that song loud and clear to me.”_

_They showed no fear. “Are you not?” he asked, an eyebrow raised. “The whole of the underworld knows your name. The name of Neo holds great esteem in the darker reaches. Moreso than any slayer before or since.”_

_“Imagine how much more I could do if you two would just call me and be done with it,” Neo snapped. “I'm fighting an uphill battle right now. Give me the power and I could be fighting a fair one.”_

_“As you are, you_ are _fighting a fair fight,” the woman offered. “To tap you…would be to throw the realms out of balance.”_

_“You're afraid of what I would become,” Neo said, despondent._

_Cave slayer made a grand gesture with her hands, nodding. “Lucifer himself fears what you will become,” Kat said for her. The slayer pounded on her chest and made a twisting motion with her finger against her temple. “The world is not ready for you to be a slayer.”_

_“So I keep just…getting lucky?” Neo asked, her voice sorrowful._

_“Do not confuse luck with skill,” Kat and the powers said, in unison._

_“It is compassion that gives you a reason to fight,” she said._

_“It is drive that gives you the skills to win,” he added._

_“It is the rage that gives you the strength to endure,” Kat, speaking on behalf of the cave slayer, said._

_Neo finally thought she got it. She was a slayer…but she wasn't. Steele, Buffy, Faith, and Alexia…they all_ needed _to be slayers, to have that power because they would have been killed without it. Before they were called they were just girls, just normal, run of the mill teenage girls without a care in the world; environments and circumstances notwithstanding._

_Without the slayer to pull them through…they would be statistics in a war few ever knew was raging. Deaths to be mourned by a few but ignored by the world._

_Neo, on the other hand, was different. She carried more slayer inside her than all of them combined. Every slayer that came before fought the war because they had to. Because once called, there was no choice. The war would find them whether they liked it or not. And more often than not, it would eventually grind the slayers down and kill them, letting another rise to take her place. It was a vicious cycle that was without foreseeable end. It was something that all slayers slowly became resigned to._

_But for the past six years, longer than just about any slayer that she knew of or had read about, she'd been going out and actively hunting down the supernatural menace. Not just vampires but everything. Yes, there were other hunters that did so but none of them, from what she'd seen, did so without the use of magic, firearms, and crossbows. Even Steele, widely regarded as the most powerful slayer in the mix used guns._

_Neo didn't. She had nothing but her fists, her feet and a complete lack of fear. She'd had to put herself through hell to be what she was. She trained herself as hard as humanly possible and it showed. But the simple fact remained that the powers that be, even the cave slayer was right. She wasn't called because it wouldn't really matter. There really wasn't much more she could do, even as a slayer, than she was doing now._

_The underworld feared her. Portland was quite possibly the only large city in the country that vampires and demons were_ afraid  _to come to. And it was all because of her._

_What more of an effect could she hope to have?_

_“Slayer.” Cave slayer said, touching her arm. “Slayer,” she said again, this time touching her own chest. “Sisters," she offered, clasping her hands together._

_“Why the dream?” Neo asked. “Why come to me to tell me all of this?”_

_“What you survived. What you did has…_ concerned _us.” The powers said in unison. “You are stronger, carry more than we thought.”_

_Something dawned on Neo. “I'm…I'm not completely human am I?”_

_The powers stared at her. “Yes.” They said again in unison. “You are. And that is what concerns us most. Humans are not as strong as you. Without magic, without enchantment…you are far more than you should be.”_

_“I worked hard for what I've got,” Neo said, simply. “Dad pushed me. Reggie pushed me. And when I didn't have them, I pushed myself.”_

_“You are an enigma,” she said._

_Neo furrowed her brow. “I'm not as strong as a slayer. I'm not as strong as most vampires and demons out there.”_

_“And that does not stop you,” he said. “Nothing stops you. We speak for the creator. We know what he knows.”_

_They both shook their heads. “He knows naught of you.”_

_“What the hell are you saying?” Neo said. “God didn't create me?”_

_“There have been…_ others _. Those that come into being that are outside the will of the Gods. Outside the will of the devils. History has shone with these individuals.”_

_“Like who?” Neo asked._

_“Vlad, the Impaler,” she said._

_“Atila the Hun,” he said._

_“Tsun Tsu.” She added again._

_Both of them pointed to Kat. “Her.”_

_Neo looked at the tattooed fighter. “Don't look at me,” Kat said. “This is the first I'm hearing of it.”_

_“If that's the case, then why make someone like me? And if I'm not God's work, then who's work am I?”_

_“The Universe,” she said._

_“Chaos.” He offered._

_“It is not known.” They said together._

_“That's it!” Neo said, moving closer. “You won't call me because, despite being a potential, you two really don't know what'll happen, how I'll change with that kind of power coursing through me.” She smiled. “I'm an unknown quantity.” She then broke out into a laugh. “You're afraid.”_

_“Scared,” Cave slayer said, pointing at the pair. “Sisters,” she said, touching Neo's arm again._

_Neo grinned brightly at her. She grabbed the dark-skinned slayer's arms and pulled her in, kissing her fiercely. She felt strong arms wrap around her waist._

_The sun crested the eastern horizon, painting the sparse clouds an ominous shade of red._

 

Talia leaned against the wall of the trailer with her knees tucked up under her chin and watched Neo sleep. She sighed and smiled. She never thought she'd be here. She never thought she'd fall so head over heels for someone in such a short amount of time. It was nice, to be honest.

The week they had spent in Tillamook had been hard on all of them. They'd had a heck of an impact on the town, however. The vampire problem had been dealt with very, very handily. Neo bore only a pale white scar across her abdomen and her left forearm from her time in captivity.

They now sat at the Port of Newport RV Park in a rather well-appointed facility. They'd arrived just after three PM. Neo, for her part, had groused and groaned immensely. From what Cerri could find, this was one of the few towns that didn't seem to have anything going on. There were no unexplained deaths or disappearances. There were no hits from the website. It was a barren town that seemed to have nothing going for it. Neo was understandably upset but Talia truly thought the girl could use the break. There was plenty to do in the town and it would give the girls a chance to just be girls for a few days. Talia believed that after what they had just gone through, they all deserved it. Whatever was happening at the next stop could keep for a week.

They were all booked and ready to go at the Newport Performing Arts Center. It was a simple four hundred person venue but when the tickets went on sale on the website, the event had sold out in less than a day. Even at twenty dollars a pop. It was nice to see.

As she watched the girl, she could tell Neo was dreaming. Her face seemed to parade through every emotion. Anger, confusion, contentment, and finally happiness.

She girl smiled widely. Her eyes fluttered open. She turned to see Talia looking down at her. “Good morning.”

“Got a few hours yet.” The Watcher said to her. “What on earth were you dreaming about, do you remember?”

“You never gonna believe it,” Neo said, chuckling. “I had a slayer dream.”

That  _did_  surprise Talia. “Really?” She'd never even heard of such a thing. “You're sure it was a slayer dream?”

“Oh yeah,” Neo said, sitting up. She leaned against the head to the bed. “I don't think it was a normal slayer dream, though. Everything I've read and heard of slayer dreams, they're usually chaotic and cryptic. This shit was clear as it gets. I talked to the first slayer and the powers that be.” She shook her head. “I learned a lot about myself. And about them.”

“You actually spoke to the first slayer? The first slayer ever called?” Talia asked, not sure she was understanding right.

“Yeah. She was hot as hell. All…primal and shit. She was a cave-woman, I think. She didn't speak much. One word sentences most of the time. In my dream, Kat actually spoke for her.” She chuckled. “Kat was wearing a dress.” Talia looked at her strangely. It was obvious she didn't get the funny. “Getting Kat in a dress is about as likely as getting  _me_  in a dress.”

“Ah. That is rather humorous.”

“That's what I thought,” Neo said. She went on to explain the dream in detail to the woman.

Talia listened intently and couldn't believe what she was hearing. If what Neo was saying was accurate, there was no telling what her limits could be. “If, if you don't have any objections, I'd like to report this to the Watcher's Council.”

“Why?” Neo asked her.

“I think this is something they should know. That you got contacted directly by the powers that be is nothing short of amazing. To the best of my knowledge, that's never happened.”

“I suppose you could talk to 'em about it,” Neo said, nodding. “Maybe they can learn something from it I didn't catch.”

“That's what I'm supposing,” Talia said.

The potential checked the clock. It was just before six AM. “I'm gonna grab a shower and head out to pick up breakfast. You wanna come with?”

“No. I'm going to go ahead and get in touch with Quentin and let him know what you told me.”

“Fair enough.” Neo shot over and pulled the woman into a kiss. “Have fun dealing with the old crusty British dude. I'm gonna try and find someplace to get everyone some food.”

“Bring me something good. And please, no seafood. Not this early,” Talia said, softly.

“Yeah, fish don't go down well for breakfast.” Neo offered before leaving the bedroom with a pair of camouflage pants, a pale blue tank top, and her undergarments.

After cleaning off the smell of sex and sweat, Neo moved out, unhooked the trailer from the Chevy and climbed behind the wheel. She pulled her wallet out and looked at her finances. Unlike most of the girls, Neo hated paying for things electronically. Buying things online was fine but when she went out, she always preferred, if the option was available to her, to pay cash. “Need to hit an ATM,” she said, putting her wallet back in her pocket. She fired the rig up and looked at her watch. It was just after six thirty. She'd done a bit of looking and knew of a place south across the bridge that was open early.

She turned to the left to hit the Oregon Coast Bank ATM. Given that ninety-nine point nine percent of the cash machines were inside businesses that weren't open yet, she didn't have a lot of options. She knew the town of Newport like the back of her hand. Reggie used to bring her here every summer. It was a great place. It had a lot of big-city amenities – dozens of restaurants, attractions, and museums – but maintained its small-town charm.

She pulled off of SE Bay Boulevard and into the parking lot. She parked next to a small Toyota Prius. She could see a pair of elderly women talking to each other in the front seats of the car. She stepped out of the rig and moved up to the ATM. She whipped out the S3 dot com debit card and pulled out two hundred dollars. She counted it out and stuffed it into her pocket and snatched her receipt. She pushed it into the trash receptacle on the machine and turned, nearly slamming into the pair of women. “Oh, shit. Excuse me,” she said, stepping past them. She had to admit, they were cuter than hell. She figured they had to be at least seventy plus.

“Oh, that's alright, sweetie,” one of them said, smiling at her. “Didn't mean to crowd you. Have a good day.”

“You too,” Neo said, heading back to her truck. She pulled open the door and stopped when she saw a boy, maybe her age, if not a little older move up to the ATM. She watched him for a moment. He sidled up to stand behind the pair of ladies. She slowly closed the door of the truck and waited. She knew she was just being paranoid but she really didn't want to have it on her conscience if this asshole was intending to…

He pulled a small black semi-automatic pistol from his pocket. “Turn around and hand me the cash,” he said, his voice hushed.

“Motherfucker,” Neo said, storming up to him. “Hey!” She snapped, angrily. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

The pair of women immediately grabbed onto each other, terrified. The boy with the gun turned around, pointing it at Neo. “Take one more step and I'll blow your fuckin' brains out.”

She didn't stop walking. “Fuck you, you sack of monkey shit,” she said. “You ain't got the balls God gave a Chihuahua.” She stopped a pace from him. “Well?” She said, holding her arms out wide. “You gonna fuckin' shoot or what?” She looked past him to the ladies. “You two can go.”

“No they can't,” he said. “You move and I'll-,” He never got the rest of the statement out.

Neo quickly and brutally gripped his wrist with her right arm and drove her left palm into his elbow. His arm broke with a wet snap. He screamed and dropped the gun. “Fuckin' pussy.” She looked at the ladies. “You two have a nice day now. I've got this.”

“Th-th-thank you,” one said as they trotted off and climbed into the little Toyota.

She turned her attention back to the thug. “Now where were we?” She asked. “Oh, right. I was just preppin' to whup your ass.” She kicked him in back of the legs, dropping him hard onto his back. He clutched his broken arm, crying. “You done fucked up, pal. I'm stuck in this town for the next week and you know what? There aren't any fuckin' vampires here. Not a one.” She reached down and gripped his throat, lifting him from the ground. She stared into his eyes. “That means I’m gonna take out all that aggression on yo ass.” She spun and threw him into the front of the Chevy. His back collided with the push bumper and slid to the ground. He let out a piteous whine. She stalked into him, cracking her knuckles.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a butterfly knife. He quickly flipped it open and lunged at her. The knife buried itself in her stomach, just below her scar. “Ouch!” She shouted. She gripped his hand and pulled the blade free. “That fuckin' hurt!” She dropped the knife to the ground. “You can't have nice things.” She drove her knee into his gut a half a dozen times, then heaved him up over her head and threw him into the back of her truck. She used a napkin and collected the knife and the gun, holding it by the barrel.

She fired the rig up and sped out of the parking lot, heading toward the police department. “Motherfucker,” she said a she looked down at the wound on her side. “Fuckin' pisses me off.” She reached over pushed in the cigarette lighter. She made sure he was still in the back. The lighter clicked and she pulled it free, lifted the edge of her shirt and pressed the red hot metal against her skin, searing it to stop the bleeding. The cut wasn't fatal but it was deep and could be an issue if it kept bleeding out like it was. The pain was indescribable but she endured it in silence. She had to repeat it twice more to make sure it was properly cauterized. Talia was going to pitch a bitch but she couldn't do anything about it.

She pulled up to the station and smiled when she saw the Prius from the bank sitting in the lot. “Nice.” She got out, taking the gun with her. She stepped around, dropped the tailgate and grabbed the mugger's foot. She dragged him out of the truck, letting him smack onto the concrete. She released him, closed the gate and gripped him by his throat, hefting him from the dirt. He was so out of it, he didn't resist.

She carried him into the station house proper. The old women were standing at the counter filling out paperwork. They both turned to her. “That's him, officer.” One of them said. “She saved us from getting mugged.”

Neo moved up, dropping him to the ground. She set the weapons on the counter. “He threatened all of us with this gun. I made sure and only touched the barrel. And the fucker stabbed me with this knife.”

“He stabbed you?” The man behind the desk asked. “Where?”

“In the stomach,” Neo said. She backed away and lifted her shirt. “Right here,” she said, pointing. “Fucker went in deep.”

“What did you do?” He asked, curiously. The women both turned to look.

“I had to cauterize it with the lighter in my truck. I didn't want that shit bleeding all over the interior. Blood's a pain in the ass to get out of upholstery.”

“You cauterized your own wound?” He asked as he moved around the counter to handcuff the moaning man on the floor.

“Well, yeah. Wouldn't you?”

“No!” He snapped, lifting the thug and setting him on the bench against the wall. “They have hospitals for that.”

“Or I could just do this and save myself a few grand,” Neo said. “I need to file a report.”

“What happened to him?” The man asked, pulling out more papers.

“He pointed a gun at me and threatened to shoot me so I beat the shit out of him,” Neo said, as she began filling her forms out. “Fucker's lucky I didn't kill him.” She turned and looked at him. “Real lucky.”

“Have you done that before?” The cop asked. “Kill people?”

“Keep in mind, I'm underage, so anything I admit to you without a child advocate present doesn't mean shit and can't be used, right?”

“How old are you?” He asked.

“Seventeen.” She returned.

“You can be tried as an adult. Are you emancipated?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Because if you're emancipated and seventeen, then you're legally an adult in the state of Oregon. I think it's all states, actually.”

“Good to know,” Neo said, going back to her work.

“So have you?”

“Yeah. But I'm clinically insane, so good luck making any of it stick. Besides, with my connections, one phone call and you couldn't arrest me if you wanted to.” Neo offered. “But relax, Hoss. I'm not some cold-blooded killer. Case in point, this ass-hat fuckin' stabbed me. I would have been well within my rights to rip his head off and shit down his neck. Not a court in the country would convict me.”

“You're probably right.” He waited patiently. “I do want you to talk to our detective. Just to explain some things.”

“That's cool,” Neo said, pulling her cell out. She dialed Talia since she knew the woman was awake.

“Alice? Are you on your way back?” She asked.

“No. I'm gonna be held up at the police station for a while. Some fuck-nugget tried mugging a couple of old chicks and I beat his ass. He stabbed me, though.”

“Are you alright?” Talia asked, concern in her voice.

“Yeah. It wasn't bad. I broke his shit and ran him in. I'm filling out the report now and I gotta talk to a detective after a little bit. I'm probably not gonna be back for a while. I haven't gone to the restaurant yet.”

“Do I need to call anyone?”

“Nah. Not right now,” Neo said. “I'll be okay, I think. If I get arrested for any reason, you'll be my first phone call.”

“Alright. Be careful,” Talia said. “Love you.” She added, softly.

“Oh, we're at that stage now, are we?” Neo asked, smiling.

“I'd like to think so,” Talia said, her voice sheepish.

“Fine. I love you, too,” Neo said. “I'll see you when I get home.” She ended the call and stuffed her phone back in her pocket.

“Thank you for what you did.” The lady that had been speaking most of the time offered to her. “Most people wouldn't have bothered.”

“I'm not most people,” Neo said. She looked at the pair. “You two on a girls weekend or something?”

“A romantic getaway.” The other said, grasping her partner's hand. “We've been together for thirty years.”

Neo held out her fist. “Right on.” The pair hesitated a moment before bumping it with their own. “I'm bisexual myself. You married?”

“Never saw the point. We know we love each other. We don't need a piece of paper that says so.”

“You go, girl,” Neo said, happily. After she'd finished her paperwork, she was led into the back of the station.

The officer opened a door and motioned her inside. “A detective will be in to speak with you shortly.”

“Cool,” Neo said. As he left, she took in the room. It was small but well appointed. The table that dominated was sturdy and simple. The chairs were large and comfortable. A water cooler sat in the corner with small paper cups atop it. She took one and filled it as she continued to look around. Windows adorned two walls letting in a bit of natural light. A door sat on the opposite wall of the one she entered. Beside the door sat a rolling cart with a television that had a built-in VHS/DVD player.

She took a seat and waited. She pulled her phone out and began surfing the internet. She was in the room for almost half an hour before the door opened. She turned her phone off and looked up.

The woman was tall. Taller even than her and she stood a solid five ten in her bare feet. She was, however incredibly slender but wasn't what you would call skinny. She had a runner's build. Her hair hung down her shoulders in a bright crimson wave and her eyes were a very piercing green. Her face was rather strong but had the look of someone that cleaned up well. As it sat, the woman obviously gave two shits about how she looked. She was at work. She had to compete with the men and you couldn't do that wearing half of the L'Oreal lineup. The gray suit jacket and slacks hung on her very well. Her badge was hanging around her neck on a chain-lanyard. Her gun, a simple Glock 9mm rested under her left arm. She also carried a file folder in her left hand.

She scooted the chair out and sat down opposite Neo. She opened the file folder and looked at some of the still shots. Neo could tell they were snapshots from the ATM camera. Everything she'd done was captured on video. She smiled and leaned back.

“I'm Detective Mason.” The woman said. “Do you take drugs, Miss Frog?” The woman asked her.

“Seriously?” Neo asked her back. “Are you seriously asking me if I take drugs?”

Mason lifted her eyes and bore into Neo. “Yes. I seriously asked you if you take narcotics.” She tapped the photos. “A girl your size shouldn't be able to do this. Unless you're on something. You nearly killed this man.”

“Don't call him that,” Neo said, her tone gaining just as much edge. “He's not a man. He's a piece of shit. Address him as such.”

“He's a human being, Miss Frog.”

“That's debatable,” she said back.

“Do you think this is a game? You're looking at serious jail time if he presses charges. We've got it on tape you beating this man nearly to death.”

“I'll never see the inside of jail cell, Detective,” Neo said simply. “One look at my psych profile and the worst I'd ever face is a one bunk Hilton at a minimum security nuthatch. I'd be spending my days shooting pool and fuckin' crazy nymphos.”

“You seem pretty certain of that.”

“Do your homework, lady,” Neo said. “But I won't even see that much. That asshole even tries to press charges, he'd come up missing and no one would ever find him again.”

“You saying you'd have him killed before he could make his statement?”

“I don't know, am I?” Neo said. “This is the bottom line, cop. That shit-cock tried mugging two old ladies. I kicked the shit out of him for it. Then he stabbed me. I kicked the shit out of him for that. The way I see it, his ass got off light. I could have done a lot more to him than I did.”

“Despite what you may wanna believe, Miss Frog…”

“Alice or Neo. I hate being called Miss Frog.”

The woman repeated herself. “Despite what you may wanna believe,  _Miss Frog_ -,” She said again.

Neo glared. “Say it again,” she said, leaning forward. “Say Miss Frog one more time and you'll spent the rest of your short ass life staring at pieces of yourself. And don't think for a fucking second, that gun frightens me, bitch. I'd have my hands around your neck before you even cleared leather.”

“Threatening an officer of the law is a serious crime, little girl.”

“Pissing me off a whole lot worse, Red. You call me Neo or Alice. I don't care which. But you call me Miss Frog one more fucking time and we're gonna dance, you understand me?”

The woman swallowed. “Fine.  _Alice_. As I was saying, even men like him have rights.”

“In your world, sister. Not mine,” Neo said. “Far as I'm concerned he's just another demon preying on fear and pain. I make my day fighting things like him.”

“Demons?” The woman asked, incredulously. “You fight demons?”

“You…you really don't know who I am, do you?” Neo asked her, raising an eyebrow.

Mason began reading from some of the papers in the file folder. “Alice Frog born…”

“Yeah, yeah. That's great. You saw my facebook page,” Neo said. “But you have no idea  _who_  I am, do you?”

“Fine. Who are you, Miss-,” She saw the warning in Neo's eyes and caught herself. “Who are you, Alice?”

“You ever visit S3 dot com?” Neo asked. “Go ahead, I'll wait.”

The woman sighed and pulled her smartphone out. She dialed up the site and spent a couple of minutes navigating. It didn't take her long to realize that she was trapped in a very small room with a very,  _very_  dangerous girl.

Neo watched her reaction and grinned. “Do I have your attention now, Detective Mason?”

“Who are you?” She asked, this time her voice was fearful.

“I'm the fucking Boogeyman's Boogeyman, Detective. I'm the shit that all of that,” She pointed to the phone. “Is afraid of. I scare the bad things so they leave the little children alone. Are there monsters in your closet, Detective? Beasts under your bed?” The woman shook her head, swallowing. “You know why? It isn't because you refuse to believe in them. They're gonna come for you whether you do or not. That's not why. There aren't any there because just as they're about to step out of the wardrobe to devour you, just as they're about to reach out and grab your hand and drag you down into the dank shit filled abyss of the underworld to strip your meat from your bones…” She grinned at the terror in the woman's eyes. “My ass puts them in the fuckin' ground before they get a chance.”

She stared into Neo's eyes, looked deep, deeper than she wanted to…and found that the girl wasn't lying. One of the things that made Detective Mason such a good Detective was what her colleagues called her 'bullshit meter'. She had instincts that were spot on. If her gut told her something, she went with it. Because for almost thirty-five years of life, she'd never been wrong. But now she was put to the ultimate test. Logic, knowledge of the physical world told her that the girl's story  _had_  to be bullshit. It simply couldn't be true. And yet, the truth was staring her straight in the face. She had this girl, Alice Frog, a native of Portland Oregon, singer of an all-girl rock band, had thrown a two hundred pound man around like a bag of potatoes. “There's… there's no such thing as monsters.” The woman said.

Neo chuckled. “That's right. There isn't. It's gotta be a trick of the light. It's gotta be makeup, or, or a joke. Yeah, it's just a prank. College kids and street punks with aspirations of being the next Screaming Mad George.” She leaned forward again. “That's what everyone tells themselves right up until they see their intestines slap out onto the asphalt. Or just before the hot guy or sexy woman they're with takes a hearty bite out of their necks. And you know what? Whether you wanna buy it or not, I'll still be there to save your ass. Because that's what I do. Just be prepared to get a lip lock that's gonna make you weak in the knees.” She paused a moment. “Am I under arrest?”

“Well, no…”

“Then I'm outta here,” Neo said. “It's been real, Detective.” She gave a smile. “Whether you wanna believe it or not.”

The woman was left staring after the girl. She should have stopped her. Told her that there were more questions she needed answers to but for some reason, she stayed seated. She was just glad to get young Alice out of her presence. She leaned forward and buried her face in her hands. It was then she noticed…she was sweating. It was only seventy degrees in the room.


	10. Chapter 10

Cerri sat behind her laptop bouncing in her seat. She was excited as could be. She saw that it was just after nine in the morning. The twins were moving about cleaning the trailer and doing dishes. Neo and Talia were both still asleep in the back. Neither of them had gotten to sleep until well after four in the morning.

Quan stepped out of the shower, running her towel over her head. Her large muscle-bound frame glistened within the morning light. Cerri watched her and sighed heavily. She couldn't help but smile every time she looked upon the love of her life. Quan tossed the towel into the hamper and knelt beside her giant duffel. She decided on a charcoal gray tank top and a pair of black cargo pants. She sat down next to the girl and pulled on her socks and her boots. “You're antsy as hell,” Quan said, smiling.

Cerri got to her knees and threw her arms around her girlfriend from behind. “You're taking me to the aquarium.”

“All the years you've lived in Oregon and you've never gone.” She shook her head. “I can't believe that.”

“Mom could never afford it. Neither could we,” Cerri offered, sadly.

Quan finished up and turned, hugging the smaller girl. “I'm sorry, baby,” she said, holding Cerri tight. “You all ready to go?” Cerri nodded. “I'll see you guys later,” Quan said as she got up and slid her wallet into her pocket. She snatched the keys of the Ford off the counter.

“Drive safe. Have fun,” Sadiira said. Nadiira waved at them as they stepped out of the trailer.

They climbed into the rig and were off. “Did you wanna grab breakfast before we go?” Quan asked.

“I already ate but you can stop and get something if you like.” Cerri offered, scrolling through the imagery on her phone.

“What are you looking at, anyway?” Quan asked as she cruised along SW Bay Blvd.

“Well, they're only open from ten to five,” Cerri said. “I wanna plan everything out so I can see everything.”

Quan chuckled. It was a very Cerri thing to say. “We'll have plenty of time.” She pulled off the road and into a small coffee shack drive through. She waited in line behind a massive matte black Buick. She looked at the tail end and nodded. “Nice. '70 Deuce and a quarter. Sounds good, too.” She looked at Cerri. “Bet you a hundred bucks an old dude owns it.”

The younger girl looked up and squinted. “Nope. Young guy.” She went back to her phone.

“How the hell can you see that? You wear glasses,” Quan asked, likewise squinting.

“Because no self-respecting pensioner is gonna wear his hat sidewise like that,” Cerri said. “Guy looks like a fucking idiot.”

Quan looked at her and again peered ahead. The car was loaded with people but she could see the driver was indeed wearing his hat off to the side. Old people didn't do that. “Wonder if his granddad knows he stole his car.”

Cerri chuckled and shook her head. “Despite what you may wanna believe, cars like that are making a huge comeback. Have been for a few years now.” She turned to look at Quan. “The era of the Fast and the Furious style rice rockets are over. With the big three putting the iconic Detroit Iron back into the public consciousness, real gearheads don't have to go overseas to get their horsepower fixes. Dodge sells the Challenger and the Charger with four hundred and seventy horse Hemis. You can get a Camaro with five hundred ponies. The Mustang is offering something like six hundred. Previous to that, the best you could hope for from the US, a few very exclusive options aside was the Corvette and Viper. And even then, it wasn't anything close to what it is now.”

“You've really been studying up, haven't you?” Quan asked as the big Buick pulled away.

“I gotta be able to keep up my end of the conversation with you, don't I?” the girl asked her.

Quan chuckled. “You want anything?”

“I wouldn't mind a hot chocolate. Ask if they have candy canes,” Cerri said.

Quan nodded and turned to the window. The girl inside offered her a bright smile. “What can I get you?”

“Gimme the biggest size double mocha latte you got. No whip cream. Just makes a mess. Also, gimme a medium size hot chocolate. Do you have candy canes?”

“Um…” the girl said, looking around. “I think…yeah.” She reached behind her and pulled one out. “Here you go.”

“Thanks,” Quan said, handing it to Cerri. “Also gimme four of those giant ass muffins behind you.”

“We have lemon poppy seed, banana nut, chocolate, and blueberry.” The girl offered as she got their drinks made.

“Hell, gimme one of each,” Quan said. “You don't happen to have like, breakfast sandwiches or anything, do you?”

“They're prefab but we got some with bacon, ham or sausage.” She shrugged. “They're not bad. Worth what we charge but barely.”

“Gimme four of the sausage,” Quan said.

“You got it.” She moved around the small shack, gathering the muffins and microwaving the sandwiches. Quan reached into her pocket and pulled out a twenty and a ten. She soon finished and offered the big woman a small cardboard serving boat with her sandwiches inside. Quan took it and set in on the center console. She took the bag with her muffins and then took the drinks one at a time. “Your total is twenty-four forty-two.” The girl said.

Quan handed her the bills. “Keep it,” she said, nodding. “Catch you later.”

“Thanks.” The server returned happily. “Have a wonderful day.”

They pulled away from the shack and headed off toward the aquarium. As they drove, Quan devoured her sandwiches. “These aren't bad,” she said.

“They look cheap,” Cerri said, looking at them. “Look like gas station food.”

“Says the girl that likes Seven Eleven hot dogs.” Quan shot back.

“Yeah, I know.” Cerri returned. “Not really sure why, either. It isn't like they're good.” She shook her head. “Jalapenos, pickles, onions, and fake ass imitation cheese. Masks the flavor of horse and chicken anus, most likely.”

“Sounds like the ingredient list to some of the chemical weapons they used in World War One.”

“You eat AMPM burgers, you know nothing.” Cerri chided.

“I do love me some AMPM gut bombs. I pretty much load em' with the same shit you put on your hot dogs.”

“They always tasted like they couldn't decide whether they wannabe sausage or hamburger.”

“That's what I love about them. You don't really get that flavor anywhere else,” Quan said, polishing off her last sandwich and taking a slug of her mocha. “They just taste good to me.”

“At least you put vegetables on 'em,” Cerri said. “I swear sometimes you eat worse than I do.”

“I can't argue with that.” Quan turned onto the bridge and raced across to the southern part of Newport. She could feel Cerri's excitement. Talia, Neo, and the twins had insisted that the two of them take the day and enjoy themselves. Quan had seen the aquarium numerous times and really didn't find it as interesting as she used to. But her girl wanted to visit and that was what was important. They pulled up to the parking lot and noticed that it was already packed with cars. “Christ,” Quan said, as she moved this way and that, looking for a spot.

“There!” Cerri said, pointing.

Quan gunned it and whipped into the spot, cutting off a large Lincoln Navigator. “Sorry, pops. Too slow,” she said, smiling. She noticed the driver of the vehicle climbing out, obviously angry. As he closed the distance, she stepped out and looked at him. He was barely up to her chin and was a bit on the skinny side. “Something I can do for you, fella?” She asked him, raising an eyebrow.

He immediately turned around and got back into his SUV and sought parking elsewhere. She nodded and turned to Cerri. “You ready, sweetie?” Quan asked, offering her hand.

Cerri took it, nodding. “This is gonna be fun.” She looked around at all the people and sighed. “There's a lot of people here for it being a Monday.”

“Well, there ain't but three things to see in this town. The parks, the Marine Science Center and this place,” Quan said. “Other than that, it's the seafood restaurants.”

“I suppose that's true. Can you imagine having a seafood allergy in a place like this?” Cerri asked, chuckling. “God, that would suck.”

“Granddad did.” Quan offered as they waited in line. “He was allergic to shellfish. Given that we spent seven years in China, that was really horrible for him.”

“Oh, God,” Cerri said. “Seafood is like, all they serve in China, isn't it?” Cerri asked.

“Not all, no. There's chicken, beef, goat, lamb, and pork. He never really lacked for anything to eat. He just liked shellfish but couldn't eat it on account of it would fuck him up.”

“Excuse me.” A woman behind the big girl said, lightly tapping her on the shoulder.

Quan turned to look down at her. She was an average height brunette with attractive eyes. She was standing with two girls, one of which was about Cerri's age and was glued to her phone, looking as though she could think of a million places she'd rather be. The other girl was possibly five, maybe six years old and looked up at her with wide eyes. It was obvious she'd never seen a woman as big as her before. The woman had to crane her neck to look up at her. Being six foot five in her boots, she was used to it. “Yeah?” She asked with a smile.

“Would you possibly watch your language? There are a lot of children present. As parents, we'd like to spare them hearing that kind of thing as long as possible.” The woman bit her lip, looking nervous as hell.

Quan knew that she intimidated most people. Being covered with tattoos and built like a female bodybuilder, she was largely left alone. She could tell it took a lot for the woman to even ask her such a thing. “I'm terribly sorry. I'll do my best to curb my language.”

The woman gently let out the breath she was holding. “Thank you.”

“You're big,” the little girl said. “I bet a lot of people are scared of you.”

“Nancy!” The mother said, scolding the little girl.

Quan and Cerri laughed. It was cute as hell. Quan knelt down in front of the girl. “I only scare bad people, Nancy.” She offered her hand. “I'm Annabelle.”

Nancy took it and smiled. “I'm Nancy. It's my birthday.”

“How old are you, sweetie?” Quan asked.

“I'm six,” the girl said, happily.

“Well, Happy Birthday Nancy.” The big girl said, ruffling her hair. “She's a cutie.” The mother smiled brightly and looked down at her daughter. Quan saw the girl's older sister just sigh and roll her eyes. “I take it you're not looking forward to this.” The girl looked at her, then went back to her phone. She didn't say a word. Quan sniggered and turned back around, waiting her turn.

“You're like, the worlds friendliest biker,” Cerri said, laughing.

“Well pardon me for breaking stereotypes,” Quan said, tapping the girl in the back of the head.

After dropping the ticket price, Quan followed Cerri as the girl moved about snapping photos of absolutely everything with her expensive digital camera.

As she walked along, Quan kept a watchful eye on her. As they strolled Cerri lifted her camera to take a picture of the Otters – who were extremely photogenic and posing for their adoring public – a boy of maybe sixteen years ran past and snatched the girl's camera from her hands.

He didn't make it more than a half dozen paces before Quan grabbed the back of his shirt and lifted him from his feet. She looked him in the eye and simply held her hand out. She didn't say a word. He slowly put the camera in her hand. She nodded and dropped him to his feet. He immediately took off. She offered Cerri back her camera with a smile. The girl grinned and checked the camera over before turning and taking the pictures.

Quan just shook her head and kept moving. Cerridwen was a kid in a candy store. Quan even let her go nuts in the gift shop.

It was five minutes to five when they left, having circled the park three times to make sure they didn't miss anything. “Did you have fun?” Quan asked as they made their way to the truck.

Cerri moved over and hugged the big girl. “This was really fun. Thanks for bringing me.”

“You're welcome, baby.” She returned as they climbed into the Raptor. Quan pulled out of her spot and waited patiently as they left the parking lot. “I'm hungry as hell. There's a restaurant just down the road.”

“The Fishtails Café,” Cerri said. “It closes at three.”

“Oh, what the fuck?” Quan asked, looking at her. “Who the hell closes a restaurant at three in the afternoon?”

“A stupid one?” Cerri asked, pulling out her phone. “I'll find us a place.” She sifted through the options and sighed. “A lot of places that serve alcohol.”

“Not old enough to drink,” Quan said, easing out onto the road. “Isn't there a steakhouse or something just on the other side of the bridge?”

“Um…Yeah! Newport Steak and Seafood.” She bit her lip as she read. “Reviews are pretty back and forth, though.”

“Best steak I ever had was a little shit shack outside McRae, Georgia. All the Reviews said the place was a dive and had shitty portions and was overpriced.”

“They were wrong?” Cerri asked.

“Paid fifteen bucks and got a sixteen-ounce porterhouse, a baked potato the size of a grapefruit and a broccoli medley with lemon. Steak was cooked to perfection and they had wicked awesome steak sauce. I haven't trusted reviews since then.”

“Looks like that's where we're headed,” Cerri said. “It's just past the end of the bridge on Southwest Bayley.”

A few minutes later, the pair pulled into the lot. “Place looks kinda quaint,” Quan said as she turned the truck off. She climbed out and looked down at herself. “There isn't a dress code or anything is there?”

“Quan? It's a ramshackle brown building that has the word 'Lounge' in the name and has a big 'Lotto' sign on the wall. What do you think?” Cerri said, with a raised eyebrow. “If anything, I'd think you'll fit right in.”

“Be that as it may…” The big woman said, pulling a navy blue over shirt out of the back and sliding it on. “Just in case.”

“No,” Cerri said, moving over and pulling the shirt off. “Stop being embarrassed about how you look.”

“Not a lot of people like staring at-,”

“You're not trying to impress them, now are you?” Cerri asked, throwing the shirt in the truck and closing the door. “You're my date. You're here to impress me. And I happen to like the way you look with your muscles and tats hanging out. I'd make you go topless if I thought I could get away with it.” She pushed the big girl toward the restaurant. “Now let's go in and get you fed.”

Quan giggled and walked along. She loved the younger girl so very much. And this was one of the many reasons why. Cerri really didn't give a shit what other people thought. They stepped inside and were immediately assailed with the smell of cooking seafood and steak. “God, it smells good in here.”

Cerri nodded. “Mmhmm. This is gonna be so good.”

“Remember. You can't eat salmon.” Quan reminded her.

“Don't like salmon,” Cerri returned. “Tastes like dirty panties.”

“Please note that I am indeed _not_ asking you how you know what dirty panties taste like.” The big fighter offered. “Be that as it may, I thought you loved salmon,” Quan said

“No, I hate salmon. It's Neo that likes salmon.” The girl shuddered. “Freak.”

“Oh, that's right.  _She's_  the one that's allergic,” Quan said. “Pisses her off to no end because she fuckin' loves smoked salmon.”

“See, smoked isn't bad. It's really good on those Totino's pizzas.”

“That's just fuckin' nasty,” Quan said.

They were seated and chatted while they waited for their food. Quan ordered the largest steak they had, a sixteen-ounce porterhouse with mashed potatoes and gravy and a seafood sampler platter. Cerri went in for the fish and chips and a hearty bowl of clam chowder.

It was well past sunset when the pair left the restaurant. Quan left the server a ten dollar tip. The woman had seen to them very well, making sure that their glasses were kept full and just letting them know that they weren't forgotten.

“See why I don't trust reviews?” Quan asked as they made their way out to the rig.

“Fair point,” Cerri said. “We should probably stop and pick something up for the others.”

Quan looked down at the fuel gauge. “Gotta get gas, anyway.”

“There's a Chevron over there. Looks like it's got a deli and shit attached,” Cerri said, pointing.

“That'll work,” Quan said, turning toward the station. She pulled up to the pump and climbed out. The pump attendant came out and smiled at her. “Fill it up,” she said as she made her way past. She fell in beside Cerri. She looked to the side and pointed as a car drove up. “Check it out.”

The younger girl turned and looked. “Is that the same Buick from this morning?”

“I think so,” Quan said. “Can't see there being more than one in a town like this.” They entered the deli to see a man in his mid-fifties behind the counter, leaning on it lazily. The girls walked over to the deli case.

Four boys made their way in, talking loudly to each other. Quan gave them all a cursory look. They couldn't have been more stereotypical 'street' if they tried. Two of them were sporting baseball caps tilted sideways off their head. The other two had do-rags covering their heads. All four of them were as pale white as it got, which made her stifle a laugh. Their t-shirts were baggy and their pants all hung down around the bottom of their butts. She leaned closer to Cerri. “It still amazes me that anyone can think they look cool dressed like that.”

The girl turned and looked, snorting. “Jesus.” She shook her head and turned back to the hot case. “I'm thinking Neo would probably want-,”

“Hey, wassup girl?” One of the boys, wearing a yellow LA Lakers baseball cap said, moving up behind the pair of them.

Quan regarded him and had to turn away. He had a matching number 28 Tarik Black game jersey on over a baggy white t-shirt. She could see his black boxers. “Jesus Christ,” she said, trying her best not to snicker. Granted, at current, she wasn't exactly the poster girl for fashion, in her tank top, cargos, and steel toe boots. Cerri, in her Oregon Coast Aquarium shirt, black skinny jeans, and sketcher tennis shoes, was far more stylish.

“Just out of curiosity, which one of us are you talking to?” Cerri asked.

“You both fine as hell,” he said, smoothing up.

“Then you have a problem, slick,” Cerri said, turning toward him. She was notably shorter than him. “She's a lesbian and I'm only thirteen.”

“Aw, tha's alright, baby,” he said, getting closer. “I can show you how a  _man_  gets down.”

“So…you're a child molester.” Cerri offered. “Is that what you're saying?”

He just gave her a slimy smile. “You look all grown up to me.”

“That's it,” Quan said, stepping in front of Cerri. “Get the fuck away from her you sick sack of shit.” She stared down at him. “I'm not gonna tell you twice.”

“Bitch, fuck you!” He said lifting the front of his shirt, showing her the semi-automatic pistol tucked into the front of his pants. The store clerk immediately ducked down behind the counter.

Quan could see things escalating very quickly. One of the boy's friends grabbed the phone and tore it free. She pushed Cerri behind her. “I can guarantee you I'll drop you before you ever skinned that smokewagon, son. You the gambling kind?”

Like an idiot, he went for it. His hand closed around the grip as her fist came down, colliding with his jaw. He was thrown to the side to slam into a Doritos display case. His three friends all pulled their weapons.

Quan concentrated on a pair of her tattoos. Suddenly the trio was moving in slow motion. She exploded into action. The first of the thugs caught a left backhand to the temple. The second tasted a crashing hard right cross. Both of them spun to the floor, groaning. She caught the third in the abdomen with a spear, crashing him into a shelf, sending merchandise all over the floor.

She rose to her feet and glared down at him. “Quan!” She heard Cerri squeal. She turned to see Lakers Fan with his gun against Cerri's head.

She growled and moved toward him. “You done fucked up,  _boy,_ ” Quan snarled in absolute rage. “Do yourself a favor and put the gun in your mouth and pull the trigger. It'll make it easier for you.”

“Take one more step and I'll put a bullet in her fuckin' head,” he said, suddenly fearful.

“No, you won't,” Quan said. “Because you ain't that stupid.” She was close to him now. “You're gonna die. Here. Now. In this shitty little fucking gas station.”

He pointed the gun at her. “Stop fuckin' moving.”

“You had one chance. I'm too close to you now. You don't have a hope in hell. Let her go and I might-,”

She didn't finish her statement before he screamed as Cerri rammed the stun gun she carried into his crotch. “Motherfucker.” The little girl snapped. His gun discharged. The bullet grazed Quan's left arm.

It didn't even slow her down. She raced toward him as Cerri dove aside. The huge tattooed fighter slammed her arms against his chest and forced him back, driving him into the cooler amid a torrent of broken glass and spilled booze. She stepped back and looked around, letting out her breaths in a hoarse growl. She then looked to Cerridwen. “Are you okay?”

“I'm fine but your arm,” Cerri said, worried.

Suddenly sirens could be heard outside. Two police cars pulled up to the station in a hurry. Four officers came into the store, their guns drawn. “Everyone freeze!” One of them shouted.

Quan and Cerri both lifted their hands. She knew the drill. It wasn't the first time she'd been arrested. Both girls were placed in the back of a patrol car and taken in. Quan was kept in booking while Cerridwen was escorted off by herself with an officer and a woman in a gray skirt suit.

She turned to see three of the four boys being led into the station. Apparently, the one she'd body-blocked into the cooler had to go to the hospital. She didn't feel the least bit bad about it. The officers sat the three of them down beside her. The big woman sighed heavily and leaned back. It was going to be a long night.


	11. Chapter 11

Cerridwen was led into a small room with a nice wooden table with comfortable chairs and brightly painted walls. She chuckled and shook her head. She'd been in a similar situation before. Just after her mother died. That was also the night that she was put into Quan's custody.

Granted, she'd engineered the whole deal. Using the older girl's prepaid smartphone, Cerri hacked the state resources and listed one Annabelle Callahan as her legal guardian. The state had no choice but to release her to the big girl. That was almost two years ago.

Given what she'd just seen – which was really old hat to her – she was going to end up getting grilled by a child advocate. She was ready for it. It wasn't exactly normal shit for a thirteen-year-old girl to see but at the same time, she didn't mind it too much. These people were just doing their jobs, after all.

The cops had searched them both and confiscated their stuff. Quan only carried her phone, wallet, and keys with her. Cerri, however, was little-miss-prepared. She had a silver buckle knife in her belt, a lock-pick set in a custom made rig around her left ankle and a vial of holy water concealed in the necklace she wore. She found it funny that the cops didn't search people anywhere near as well in real life as they did in the movies. The officers that frisked both her and Quan sifted through their pockets and that was it.

She was glad that they removed her handcuffs. No doubt with how utterly innocent she looked, they believed her just to be a victim of some sort. She sighed and leaned back, crossing her arms.  _How little they knew_.

A few minutes later the woman that had escorted her with the officer into the room came back in, carrying with her a file folder. “Hi Cassandra. My name is Emily Blake. I'm with Child Protective Services.” She took a seat across from the girl. “Are you doing okay?”

“Look, Emily. Can I call you Emily? I watched my g…guardian beat four men nearly to death. A guy pulled a gun and put it against my head. Trust me. That isn't the worst thing that's happened to me.” Cerri offered.

“I see,” Emily said, looking down at the folder. “So…since being placed with… Annabelle, you've experienced worse things than this?”

Cerri immediately saw what the woman was doing. She was trying to get her taken away from Quan and placed in a foster home. She wasn't the first woman to try. “No. Since Anna's been my guardian things couldn't be better. I was talking about my mom getting killed in front of my eyes. I'm sure all of that's in there.” She pointed to the file. “Along with my psychological evaluation and the transcripts for the eight state-mandated sessions with the child psychologist.”

Emily looked at her and down at the folder. “How would you know all of that is in here?”

“You think you're the first child services flunky that's tried to get me taken away from Anna?” Cerri asked. “The last one literally hired a private investigator to stake out the warehouse me and my friends live at. We ended up getting him arrested and his license revoked for peeping at a bunch of underage girls at home. That and we own the twenty acres of land our warehouse is on and he was found within that perimeter.”

“You think that's what I'm trying to do?” Emily asked.

“You telling me it's not?” Cerri countered.

“No. I don't wanna take you from anyone. My job is to make sure you're safe. That's all.”

“Yes, I'm safe. We done?” Cerri asked her.

“It's not that simple.”

“For you,” Cerri said.

“You said that you've never suffered anything overly traumatic since living with Anna, is that correct?” Cerri nodded, not sure where the woman was going. “I have your medical history right here. According to this, you broke your arm in three places. You claimed that you fell. Annabelle, Alice Frog, Sadiira, and Nadiira Rajni all backed up the claim. But the doctors found that the fractures didn't coincide with a fall.”

“Don't lie, Emily. You're not very good at it,” Cerri said, matter-of-fact. “The doctor's findings were inconclusive. Meaning, he couldn't tell, with one hundred percent accuracy whether the breaks were due to a fall or not. He believed, in his personal opinion – of which he has not one shred of evidence mind you – that the fractures were caused by physical torsion and not by a fall.”

“You've done your homework,” Emily said. “Which begs the question why fight so hard to convince me that they weren't caused by someone?”

“Because I hate it when stupid people try to pass off opinion as fact. It pisses me off,” Cerri said. “I fell over the railing on a loading dock. I tried to keep myself from biffing it. I grabbed the railing as I went over and twisted my arm. Boom. Immediate twisting breaks. In an X-ray, it would look just like I suffered some sort of abuse.”

Emily looked at her and sighed heavily. “I'm just trying to help you, Cassandra. You're not making it easy.”

“If you wanna help me, then let me go. I didn't do anything wrong. I'm not in danger of being abused or anything like that. I'm smart enough to know that I don't take candy from strangers, I don't get into cars with people who wanna show me their puppy and I don't answer the phone and tell people I'm alone. I've seen all the afterschool specials and know what the hell I'm doing. I also carry a stun gun and ain't afraid to use it. Don't matter how big a guy is, you crack him in the dick with nine hundred thousand volts and he's gonna fold like a table at Dudley Boyz wrestling match.”

“What happened at the gas station?” Emily asked. “I wanna hear your version.”

“A boy about sixteen, maybe seventeen came up to me and started hitting on me. I told him how old I was and he kept at it. I asked him if he was a child molester and he said yes. Anna told him to leave us alone and he flashed a gun.” Cerri smiled. “Takes more than a gun to intimidate Anna.”

“She wasn't afraid of being shot?” Emily asked, curiously.

“Not Anna. One bullet wouldn't kill her, anyway.”

“How do you figure that?” Emily asked.

“Magic,” Cerri responded. “So he got pushy and tried drawing down on her. She dropped him faster than a wedding dress on a honeymoon and moved to the other three. As soon as she put them down, the first guy, the one that was hitting on me pulled his gun and pointed it at me. I used my stun gun and fried his sack. That's when Anna chucked his ass into the beer cooler. Cops showed up a couple of seconds after that.”

Emily stared at her. “So…she deliberately put your life in danger?”

“Jesus Christ, lady,” Cerri said, shaking her head and throwing her hands in the air. “Alright. Let me spell it out for you.” She leaned forward. “I am safer with Anna, Alice, Sadiira, and Nadiira that I would be literally anywhere else on earth. Do you know why?”

“Enlighten me,” Emily said, crossing her arms.

“Because anything happens to me? The safeties come off. They go from being a singer, a bassist, a guitarist and a keyboardist to being the most terrifying four women you're likely ever to meet. Take a look at what she did to four boys with guns. And she did all that damage in the span of twenty-three seconds. Imagine what she'd do if she was  _really_  angry.”

“You make her sound like the Incredible Hulk,” Emily said.

“With one notable difference.” Cerri stood and leaned closer to her. “The Hulk is science fiction.”

Emily really wasn't sure what to make of the girl. According to her psychiatric evaluation, she was as stable as they came. She didn't seem to suffer any kind of fallout from the trauma she'd gone through. “I'd like you to speak with our psychologist,” she said. “Just to be on the safe side.”

“Fine,” Cerri said. “Can I make a phone call, please?”

“To whom, if you don't mind me asking.”

“To Geico. I wanna save on my car insurance. Who do you think? I gotta call Alice and let her know where I am. Otherwise, they're gonna come looking. And trust me, you  _really_  don't want that.”

“And why is that?”

“Trust me, lady. Some things are better left a mystery,” Cerri said.

Emily pulled her cellphone out and slid it across the table. “You can use mine.”

“I'll put it on speaker for you,” Cerri said, dialing Neo's cell.

“Who the fuck is this and how did you get my number?” Neo snapped.

“Neo, it's me,” Cerri said. “Quan and I got arrested. Quan's rig as at the Chevron Station on Bayley just off of the highway. Someone should go and pick it up.” Cerri was typing away on the phone as she talked.

“Why did you two get arrested? You need us to mount a rescue?” Neo asked. “The twins are looking for a reason to use their new toys.”

That got Emily's attention. “What does she mean by that?”

“Who the fuck is that?” Neo asked, sharply.

“That's Emily. She's trying to get me taken away.”

“You tell her what we'd do if she tried that shit?”

“More or less. She says she's not. I'm using her phone,” Cerri said. “Don't worry. I'm not giving her anything to go on.”

“Leave Cerri alone, lady,” Neo growled. “I'll tear your head off and shit down your fuckin' neck, I swear to God.”

“You have an extremely foul mouth, Miss Frog,” Emily said.

“Whoa, Emily. Do  _not_  call her that. I'm serious. She hates it with a passion. Neo or Alice. But never,  _ever_  call her Miss Frog,” Cerri said, her face like stone.

“I'm not trying to take anyone from anywhere, Alice.”

“For your sake, lady you better fuckin' hope not.” Neo snapped. “You want me to call anyone?”

“Not sure yet. I'll call again later,” Cerri said.

“Talia and I are on the way to pick up the rig. Where's Quan?”

“She's probably in central booking. Might be a while until she can go anywhere. She's looking at a minimum of a serious destruction of property beef.”

“Alright. We'll stay frosty. You need us you holler. We'll come in guns blazing,” Neo said. “Peace out.”

“Later.” Cerri finished and handed the phone back. “I strongly suggest you remove those pictures and you should eat a lot better than you do. It would help your blood sugar problem.”

“What?” Emily said, looking at her phone.

“The pictures were nice to send to your girlfriend when she was overseas but now that she's back, there's really no need to keep lingerie shots of yourself on your phone. Nice choice, by the way. Victoria Secret's Summer catalog last year was a really nice one. Lotta good choices. And you look good in green. Stop eating so much pizza and Italian take out. That shit's loaded with sugars and carbs. Not good for someone of your health.” Cerri pointed to the device. “The texts to your girlfriend about getting your blood sugar under control kinda did you in on that one.”

“How…how did you learn all of that?” Emily asked. She was staring at her phone as of it had betrayed her.

“Never hand someone your phone unless you're a hundred percent certain there's nothing on it you don't want them to see,” Cerri said. “So am I gonna-?”

“What did she mean when she said they'd come in 'guns blazing'?”

“Back to this again, are we?” Cerri rubbed her face in her hands. “Fine. Neo is a world class fighter. She's freakishly strong and doesn't stop until what she's fighting with stops moving, she passes out or dies. The twins have enough firepower – and by that, I mean guns, explosives, and ordnance – to fight a war. If I gave the word, they'd level this building to get to me. And do you know what the worst part of that is? They wouldn't even so much as  _see_  a courtroom for it.”

“What do you mean?”

“I'm supposed to be speaking with a child psychologist, remember?” Cerri said, grinning.

Emily left the room pale-faced. She wanted to get away from the girl. Having watched the entire exchange from behind the one-way mirror, the psychologist swallowed and prepared herself. She entered the room as Emily trotted out.

“Your name is Cassandra Hills but you prefer Cerri, right?” The woman asked as she moved to sit down.

“That's right. What's your name, Doctor?” Cerri asked leaning back, crossing her legs and resting her hand on her knee.

“I'm Rhonda Pearl.”

“Rhonda. No doubt named from your grandmother. Probably on your father's side,” Cerri said. “Most baby boomers had to suffer that kind of indignity.”

Rhonda for her part chuckled. “Very astute. You're absolutely right. My grandmother on my father's side was named Rhonda.” She again regarded Cerri. “I take it you're used to being the smartest person in the room, aren't you?”

“That's why I'm the brains of the band.”

“How do you like being in a rock band?” she asked. “Do you enjoy it?”

“Of course. It's fun as hell.” Cerri looked at her for a long moment. “How come you're not asking me questions to determine if I'm crazy or something like that?”

“Because I don't need to,” Rhonda said. “I already know you're not.”

“How do you know that?” Cerri asked. “How do you know I'm not just a good actress?”

Rhonda stared at her. She slowly pulled her wide-band watch off and leaned forward showing Cerri. There, pale against her skin was the faded scars of a vampire bite. “Let's just say I'm a bit more experienced than your average shrink.”

Cerri smiled at her. “How long ago?”

“A year ago. I was working in Sunnydale,” the woman said, putting her watch back on.

“Let me guess. A pretty little blonde girl saved your ass?”

“Nope. Some brunette biker-slut wannabe. Had a tattoo on her arm and wild-ass hair.”

“Sounds like Faith,” Cerri said to herself. “So…what are you gonna do with me?”

“Do you feel safe where you're at?” Rhonda asked.

“Of course I do.”

“That's all you'll ever have to say to me,” she said, rising to her feet. “I'm gonna recommend that you be released into the custody of one Talia Turner. I'll have an officer give you a ride home.”

“What about Anna?” Cerri asked.

“That's a bit more difficult,” Rhonda said. “She's facing disturbing the peace, destruction of property and at least four cases of aggravated assault.”

“But they all had guns and were going to shoot her. One guy  _did_ ,” Cerri said. “Doesn't that matter?”

“I'm not a lawyer, Cerri. I don't know. Given that the four of them all had priors and Quan doesn't, she might be out of here by tonight.”

“I hope so,” Cerri said, sadly.

“There…there is something else that you need to know,” Rhonda said, her voice filled with concern.

“What's that?”

“Those four boys your big friend put the hurt on? They're part of a gang here in Newport. They call themselves the Coast 3-0. They came to town about two, three years ago. They're involved in all sorts of criminal activity but the police can never seem to catch any of them doing anything. They always have alibis for whatever goes down. And the city folk never see anything.”

Cerri listened to his and couldn't help but smile. “So you're saying they might wanna get back at us?”

“It's possible,” Rhonda said.

Cerri began giggling, then it turned into a full on maniacal laugh. “Oh, Neo is gonna love hearing that. Looks like Newport just got a lot less boring.”

 

Quan went through the motions of getting booked. She'd been through the procedure before and didn't give the officers any reason to be rough with her. If the big scary cop with a gun tells you to do something, you do it and don't give him any shit. The thugs she came in with all got buck with the cops and ended up tasting dirt.

She knew full well being the biggest person in the room, they were glad not to have any problems from her. Truth be told, if she were of a mind to, she could have popped her cuffs and tore through the station to get out but she didn't see a reason to. She knew full well that Cerri was safe, wherever she was. Surrounded by cops, she didn't expect anything to happen to the girl.

She was placed in a holding cell with a couple of other women. Her arm had been bandaged up. She leaned against the wall and kept her eyes on the two girls that were in with her. One of them was a slightly heavy set Asian woman that was sound asleep. The smell of booze on her told Quan exactly why she was here. The other, a tall leggy blonde with just about the most enormous fake breasts Quan had ever seen outside of porn stared back at her. She was rocking an extremely short leather miniskirt and a matching blouse that showed a treasure trove of artificially inflated cleavage and a pair of high heels that would probably make her as near as makes no difference Quan's height. She had to give the girl credit. She had a hell of a smile. Her hair was an obvious dye job, as her jet black roots were visible but overall, she was pretty. Quan returned the smile. She didn't see a reason to be rude.

As soon as she did, the blonde got up and moved over, sitting down next to her. She offered her hand. “Bernie.”

“Quan.” Taking the girl's hand. She had a decent grip as far as girls went.

“You don't look like a Quan,” the girl said.

“Well, the last person I met named Bernie was a forty-year-old insurance salesman from Albuquerque that still lived with his mom,” Quan said with a grin.

Bernie laughed. It was a pleasant sound. “Let me guess. Stage name?”

“More or less.” The big girl said. “I play bass guitar in a band.”

“Demon Queller. I know. I recognized you when you came in. I've got tickets for your show.” She bit her lip. “I was um…kind a hopin' to get backstage.”

“Really?” Quan asked her. “Well, I hope it ain't me you were after. I'm kinda taken.”

“Oh, what I wouldn't give,” Bernie said, looking Quan over. “I'm betting all that skin art tastes just as good as it looks. But I got my favorites.” She gave Quan an avarice smile. “I like dark meat.”

“The twins?” As Bernie nodded, Quan laughed. “You _do_ set your sights high.”

“Hey, go big or go home,” Bernie offered.

“Well, you wouldn't be the first groupie they've dragged to their bed. What are you in here for?”

“Theft of services,” Bernie said. “I got into a cab and when I wanted to pay with a credit card, he said no, so I ditched out. I asked when I got in if he took debit and he said yes. We got to the motel and he said that he didn't and I had to pay cash. I didn't have enough on me, so I told him to fuck off and left. He said he'd take sex and I punched him in his teeth. Cops arrested me in my room about ten minutes later.”

“Why not just pull some cash out of the ATM and pay him?” Quan asked.

“It was the principle of the thing. The cop understood but the cabby wants to press charges.”

“Well, does the cab have a camera?” Quan asked.

“I don't know,” Bernie said. “I hope so. Make things a lot easier.”

The door of the cell opened and an officer stepped in. “Annabelle Callahan?” he asked, motioning her toward him.

“Good luck,” Bernie said, patting the big woman's knee. Quan rose to her feet, walked to the officer and turned around, putting her hands behind her back. He put the cuffs on her, taking care not to make them too tight.

She followed him as he led her to what looked like a typical interrogation room. He removed one of them to secure her arms in front of her. “Have a seat,” he said, motioning to the chair. “Get you something to drink?”

“Just some water, if that's okay,” she said, sitting down. A moment later, he set the red solo cup of water in front of her then left the room.

A minute or two later, a tall redhead woman with a Detective's badge on her belt and a Glock under her arm came in, carrying a stack of file folders. She wasn't quite to Quan's height but she was still taller than most men. She moved over and sat opposite the big woman. “Annabelle Callahan, I'm Detective Mason. I'm gonna get right to the point. You're looking at serious charges.”

“I know,” Quan said, simply.

“That doesn't bother you?” Mason asked her. “You're looking at jail time.”

“Of course it bothers me. But there ain't nothin' I can do about it, now is there?”

“What happened?” The Detective asked as she looked at the papers in her folder.

“You have my report. Chances are good you read it. Story ain't gonna change,” Quan said. “I got no reason to lie about any of it. I'm proud as hell of what I did. Those ass-hats deserved what I did to 'em. If I gotta put time in orange because of it, then I'm willin' to pay the price. I mean, they had guns and didn't seem afraid to use 'em.”

“Did you intend on pressing charges?” Mason asked.

“If it'll do any good, sure,” Quan said, shrugging.

“The way they tell it, you were crazed and started attacking them and they were defending themselves.”

“Yeah, because I make a habit of trying to beat the shit out of people with guns,” Quan said, sarcastically. “I'm brave, not stupid.”

“Are you friends with a girl named Alice Frog?”

“Sure am. She's the lead singer in our band,” Quan said, nodding. “And in the clutch, you won't find anyone better at watchin' your back.”

“Do you find yourselves in that position often? Having to watch each other's backs?”

“We live in Portland, Detective. There are all sorts of crazies. You always gotta watch your back.”

“What would you say if I told you Alice believes in monsters and vampires?”

“I'd say good for her,” Quan said, simply.

“Are you saying you don't?” Mason asked her.

“I didn't say anything of the kind.”

“So you  _do_  believe in that sort of thing.”

“Didn't say that either,” Quan offered.

“What exactly _do_ you believe, Miss Callahan?” Mason asked, curious.

“I believe that we live in a world where strange things that we can't explain happen every day. Either people don't believe it, or they do and just ignore it. I believe that there are always facets of the universe that mankind can't comprehend and probably isn't meant to.”

“Do you believe in vampires?” Mason asked, point blank.

“Doesn't matter what I believe. Not believing in the devil isn't going to protect you from him.”

“Why are you avoiding the question?” Mason asked. She was starting to get frustrated.

“Because it doesn't fucking matter,” Quan snapped. “Whether I believe in the fucking tooth fairy or not don't mean but two things. Jack and shit. And Jack's on a bus out of town. Right now the only thing that matters is that I had four guys looking to gun me and my friend down and I put a fuckin' stop to it.  _That's_  what's important.”

“Then let's discuss that,” Detective Mason said. “You did over eleven thousand dollars worth of damage to the store…”

“Which I'll pay for,” Quan interjected.

“You put one boy in the hospital with multiple fractures and lacerations…”

“After he shot me.” Quan snapped.

“All told, you're looking at a minimum of two years in prison. Perhaps twelve months for good behavior.” She looked at Quan. “Or are you going to tell me that you have connections and won't ever see the inside of a jail cell?”

“Don't know,” Quan said. “I do know it's contingent upon these guys pressing charges. As it is, each of them is looking at possession of an illegal firearm, brandishing a firearm in public and carrying without a permit. Not to mention attempted murder. And with their rap sheets, their credibility is shot. The chances are good if it went to a jury, I'd be off Scott free.”

Detective Mason sighed heavily. “It seems none of them _are_ pressing charges.” She looked at Quan. She then got up and moved over, pulling the wire out of the back of the camera. “No we're alone,” she said, sitting back down. “Level with me, Anna. What is the story with you and your friends?”

“What do you mean, Detective?”

“I wanna know what I can expect,” Mason said. “Those four boys are part of a rather large gang. The Coast 3-0. They're a big deal in this town. And you've challenged that. That's gonna make you and your friends targets.” She shook her head. “I don't want a war, Annabelle. I don't need it. This town doesn't need it.”

Quan stared at her. “I can't make that kind of promise, Detective.” She let out a despondent sigh. “I wish I could. But we're a family. If these guys are gonna start pushing, we're gonna push back. It's the way we are. It's the way we've always been.”

“We don't want vigilantism, Miss Callahan.”

“That ain't what you'll get, Detective. That isn't our style. At least not for punk ass little shits like this. But they come at is, all bets are off. We'll do what we have to.”

“I just don't-,” Mason started as her cellular phone rang. She pulled it out and looked at it. She didn't recognize the number. She tapped it and answered. “Hello?”

“Detective Melissa Mason?” A stern male voice asked.

“Speaking.”

“Put the phone on speaker, please.” The man requested. She did as she was told. “Annabelle, can you hear me?”

“Who is this?” Quan asked.

“I'm Admiral Jonathan Danforth of the United States Navy.” He gave his serial number. “Are you well, young lady?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. Detective Mason? This is what you're going to do. I don't like repeating myself so listen very carefully. You are going to remove Anna's handcuffs. You are then going to release her from custody, return her belongings to her and apologize for any inconvenience you have caused her.”

“She's-,”

“Was there anything in my tone of voice that made that sound like a suggestion, Detective? I believe I made myself quite clear,” Danforth said. “Once her handcuffs are off, give her the phone please.”

Mason pulled her keys out and undid Quan's cuffs. “Thanks.” The big woman said. She took the phone. “Okay, Admiral.”

“Please take it off speaker,” he said. Melissa reached over and tapped the button.

Quan smiled at her and lifted it to her ear. “Yes, sir?”

“I was faxed the report. Are you alright? It said you'd gotten shot.”

“I'm fine, sir. It was just a graze. I've gotten worse from shaving. The medic on staff did a wonderful job.”

“Good to know. From everything we've gathered, Newport is a dead zone for the paranormal. Why are you all there?”

“We're on tour, Admiral. This was just a date on the calendar.” Quan offered. “But apparently there is a gang here.”

“Yes, we know. The Coast 3-0. A sort of subset of the Crips. At least that's what they see themselves as.”

“The Detective thinks they might try coming after us for what I did to some of their boys,” Quan said. “Is she telling the truth?”

“It's a possibility,” Danforth said. “If that's the case, what are you lot going to do?”

“Whatever we have to,” Quan said. “We don't wanna start a war but we aren't afraid to fight one.”

“Heaven help me, I know,” Danforth said. “I just don't want it spilling over into the streets.”

“What do you suggest?”

“The only thing I can think of is to get you lot away from the public. I'm going to make a couple of calls. I want you and the rest of the girls to head to the Airport there. I'm going to have a spot cleared for you to park your rigs and your trailer. That way if anything happens, it's going to be hard to get to you.”

“Yes, sir. We'll get on that as soon as possible.” Quan offered.

“Good. Now let me talk to the Detective.”

“He wants to talk to you.”

Mason took the phone and slowly put to her ear. “Admiral?”

“Detective Mason. I've read your jacket. You've had a rather successful career. From what your superiors have said, you have good instincts. They also said that you know how to follow orders. That's a good thing, Detective. That's a very good thing. Because this is an order. You are to stop harassing those girls. Alice Frog, Cassandra Hills, Annabelle Callahan, Sadiira and Nadiira Rajni are off limits to you and your force, is that understood?”

“It is, sir. May I ask a question, sir?”

“Yes, you may.”

“Why are you going to bat for them? Are they that important?” She asked.

“That's really need to know, Detective. And you don't. But in the interest of interagency cooperation, I will say this. They are more than just a rock band. They have a very specific function in my universe. And when you keep dragging them into interrogation rooms to do who knows what, you fuck up my universe. I don't like that. So you and the rest of the Newport PD is going to leave them all alone. They're good girls doing a hard job and they don't need you or any other Barney Fife wannabe getting in their way. And if you've got a gang problem in your city, then you've failed at your job, Detective. Because if those boys are as stupid as they sound, that problem is gonna get solved very shortly. And the collateral damage that results in going to be on your head for not taking the threat more seriously. Demon Queller is on the government payroll. So stay out of their way and they'll be nice enough to not burn Newport to the ground and litter the streets with bullets, bodies, and blood. Good day, Detective.” He ended the call, leaving the pair to stare at each other.

“What did he say?” Quan asked her.

“He just took all your leashes off,” Mason said, softly. “And that we, being the entire Newport Police Department, are to stay out of your way.”

“Don't worry, Detective. We have no intention of starting a war in your city.”

“You're wrong, Anna. You already have.” Mason said, sadly.

Quan simply shrugged. “If that’s the case, we can promise it’ll be over quickly.”

That statement gave the Detective absolutely no comfort. That sad part was, she knew that Quan was trying to do exactly that.


	12. Chapter 12

“This is such fucking bullshit.” Neo snapped as she helped Quan secure the trailer to the big red Chevy. “Fuckin' runnin' from a bunch of pussy ass street punks.”

“For the last time, Neo, we ain't runnin',” Quan said, checking everything over. “We're just relocating so we don't get anyone around here hurt.”

“Fuck 'em.” Neo snapped. “They rolled the dice when they pulled into the lot.”

“That isn't funny.” Talia offered.

“Was there something in my fuckin' tone of voice that made that sound like a God damn joke?” Neo asked her. “I'm not kiddin'. I think this is total bullshit. _We_  gotta move _our_ shit because some fuckin' douchebags are causing static. I say we just hunt these fuckers down and do what we do best. End this shit in a big ass hurry.”

“And how many innocent people are going to get caught in the crossfire in the meantime?” Talia asked as she stepped closer to the girl. “We don't want collateral damage, Alice. We're simply minimizing the chance for it is all.”

“Look, if these fuckin' people wanna-,”

“Look over there.” Talia pointed to a motorhome a few yards away. “That little girl.”

Neo turned and regarded her. “Yeah? What about her?”

“If these gang members come in here, do you think they're going to give a toss about her?”

Neo stared at the girl for a moment. She couldn't have been more than four, maybe five years old. She stood in a little blue dress clutching a small stuffed tiger in her arms. Her wide blue eyes returned Neo's steely gaze. The girl giggled and smiled at her. Neo gave the kid a smirk and sighed. “No. Those fuckers would hose down this entire park just to get a lucky shot.” She tore her eyes away from the girl and looked back at Talia. “But that's the kind of pieces of shit we're dealing with.”

“When you get right down to it,” Cerri began. “These guys aren't that much better than demons.”

“Which is gonna make smokin' the fuckers double enjoyable,” Neo said. “Let's go and get settled in our new digs and then go huntin'.”

“We can't just start stalkin' these guys through the streets,” Quan said.

“Says who?” Neo asked.

“Um…the  _law_ ,” Talia said, raising an eyebrow. “These are human beings and as such are, unfortunately, awarded the right of due process.”

“Fuck that noise,” Neo said, heading for the truck. “I get my hands on one of these motherfuckers, I'm gonna squeeze his fuckin' neck till his head pops off and stuff it up his ass sideways.” She stopped and looked at Talia. “And that's if I'm feelin' fuckin' generous.”

“No. Seriously. She will,” Quan said as she moved toward her Ford.

Talia just shook her head and climbed into the passenger seat of the Chevy. The saddest part of everything was that Neo wasn't being facetious. She was actually telling the truth. Before everything was said and done, the coroner of Newport was going to be extracting a skull from a human anus.

The girls pulled out of the RV Park and turned south toward the airport. Talia turned and regarded the angered teen as they drove. Neo had her hand on the wheel and her other hand on the gear lever. The edge of the young potential's jaw was trembling. “It truly does feel like you're running to you, doesn't it?” She asked.

“Yeah. It really does,” Neo said. She sighed heavily and cleared her throat. “Don't get me wrong, I understand the reasoning for what we're doing. I really do. You kinda painted it pretty well. These cock stackers aren't gonna give two fuckin' shits who they mow down to get us. That's just the kind of ass-hats these guys are. It's our jobs to keep innocent people out of the crossfire.” She shook her head. “But these bastards…I mean they're just fucking  _people_ , you know? We shouldn't be running scared from them. They don't have anything on the shit we normally takedown. I'm used to going head to head with shit that can shred cinder blocks with its bare hands, you know? Now we got…”

“They use guns, Alice.” Talia interrupted.

The teen looked at her. “So?” She said, not seeing the point. “I can guarantee you ain't none of these fuckers is a good shot. And it's gonna take more than one bullet to put me down.” She shook her head again. “None of them are gonna have time to get off more than that.”

Talia stared at her, her expression incredulous. “Alice…” She had to pause a moment. “A bullet to your head would still kill you.”

“Yeah. Probably.” The girl said, turning back to the road. The Watcher was stunned into silence. Neo continued on. “That's on the off chance these dumbasses are good enough to score a kill shot.” She chuckled. “I highly fuckin' doubt it.”

“You…who…this is the real world, Alice. You're not Revy from Black Lagoon. You can't just walk through a hail of gunfire unscathed.” Talia snapped.

Neo laughed. “I realize that. But bonus points for the gratuitous anime reference. Always liked that show. Thought they should make another few seasons of it, to be honest.”

“Let me paint it to you like this.” Talia narrowed her eyes. “You get killed and I'm going to be very cross with you.”

Neo turned and looked at her. “What do I care? I'm gonna be dead. You can be as pissed as you want. Ain't gonna matter to me.”

“Has anyone ever told you that you're the most infuriating girl on the planet?”

“Including you? Just about everyone I've ever met,” Neo said. “Talia, I want you to think about something for a minute. I'm pretty sure you can get a hold on this.” She bit her lip and nodded. “You, me, the rest of the girls…shit, even little Cerri. We all,  _all of us_  are living on borrowed time. We have since we started this whole trip. You've been a Watcher since Clinton was in office. You know the score just as well, if not better than the rest of us. You know that each fight could be the last. It's a fact we live with. Daily ride to work and shit.” She cast a sideways glance. “This ain't no fuckin' different. Guns, knives, swords, teeth or claws, the weapons don't fuckin' matter. Never have. Demons are demons and monsters are monsters. That's what it boils down to. Always has. The shit we're dealing with now isn't any more or less dangerous. Yeah, these shit-knockers are human. So fuckin' what? End of the day, they prey on fear, feed on pain and chaos. That makes them monsters. And when there's something strange in the neighborhood, who you gonna call?” She looked at Talia. “Obviously, from the picture that's being painted by Newport's finest, and boy do we use  _that_  term loosely, you sure as shit don't call the fuckin' cops. They've been pissin' in the God damn wind as far as this shit goes. Now it's time for the professionals to take charge and clean shit up.”

“I don't want you to die, Alice,” Talia said, her voice filled with emotion. “I love you, don't you get that?”

“Yeah, I know,” Neo said, half-growling. “You never stop fuckin' reminding me.” She turned to the woman. “And yes, I love you too, you neurotic fuckin' bitch. All fuckin' worryin' and shit.” She shook her head. “Times like this I hate being in love.”

“You are not an easy girl to get emotionally invested in. Especially given the fact that you have literally no sense of self-preservation,” Talia said, frustrated.

“Oh, don't you dare go throwing that shit around,” Neo said, glaring at her. “You knew that shit before you ever got on that plane in London. You read my file. You talked to Reggie. You know I had a death wish before we ever started down this road.”

“You don't have a death wish,” Talia said. “I just think you're incredibly dim.”

“That mean you think I'm stupid?” Neo asked. “Can't really blame you. There are days I think I'm dumber than a sack of hammers.”

“I know you aren't stupid. At least when it comes to fighting the supernatural. You're brilliant at that.”

“No, I'm just good at it. I hit things until they go away…actually, I don't let things go away, do I? No, I just hit it until it stops moving. If it tries to go away, I usually try and run it down,” Neo said, chuckling. She sighed and looked to Talia. “Look, baby. I know you love me. All bullshit aside, I love you, too. I really do. You're gonna worry because it isn't just about us being together. It's about  _us_. Together. Don't really know if that made sense or not.” Neo glared angrily at the large Dodge pickup in front of her, noticing that the driver was on the phone and doing ten below the speed limit. “Oh, for fuck's sake, dude. Get off the damn phone and dump the fuckin' clutch. The fan ain't gonna pull it!” When he didn't immediately speed up, she sped up and tapped his bumper. “Move!” She screamed out the window. Wisely, the driver sped up. “Thank you!” She said, snappish. “Fucker.” She turned to Talia. “Where was I?”

“I don't honestly know.” The woman said. “You tend to ramble angrily when you wish to make a point.”

“And you don't find that adorable?” Neo said, chuckling.

“I am fairly certain I can say this with a bit of authority. There is nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing about you that can be even remotely considered _adorable_ ,” Talia said.

Neo laughed outright. “Smart woman.”

“You really are new to the whole love thing, aren't you?”

“I would think that shit is kind of obvious,” Neo said. “I'm trying, Talia. I really am. I don't know how to do a lot of this right. I ain't only ever been good at four things in my life. Fighting, fucking, singing, and crossword puzzles.”

“Crossword puzzles?” Talia asked her.

“Yeah. I'm good with 'em, I just don't like doing them. I hate having to think that hard.” She shrugged. “I just know a lot of random shit. Trivia and shit. Girls hate playing Trivial Pursuit with me. I always win.”

“I would think that would be Cerri's department,” Talia said.

“No, I usually smoke 'em all. Not sure why. I just…I just know shit.” She turned into the airport maintenance road and drove to the far side of the tarmacs. “This place is seriously fuckin' secluded.”

“That's what we want. If they come after us out here, they're not going to hit any bystanders.”

“No gunning down little girls,” Neo said, softly. “Gonna end these fuckers.”

After getting the trailer again set up in a clearing on the east side of the airport, the girls gathered together, going over what they knew. “So, Cerri, what do we have on these assholes?”

“I've been able to cobble some things together. First off, from what I've been able to learn, these guys have nothing to do with the crips at all.” She brought an image up on the flat screen of a man in his early twenties. He was tall with dark hair, a slender face and serious eyes. “This is Robert West. Goes by Ro-West. According to the profile, he's the current leader of the Coast 3-0. He's got a rap sheet a mile long. But, he's been playing it smart in the past few years. He's keeping his nose clean and doing his level best not to be around anything that goes down.”

“So we find this fuckwad and drag him down, we break up the gang?” Neo asked.

“No. It's never that simple and you know it,” Sadiira said.

“She's right,” Talia said, moving toward the screen and looking up at him. “We've got to be strategic about this. He's the leader. Which means he's going to be hard to get to. We need to work our way up.”

“I like the idea of handing these fuckers a hard whuppin',” Neo said, smiling. “So what do we do?”

“Cerridwen?” Talia turned and regarded her. “Is there any place that these boys like to frequent?”

“There's a large house on NW 68th street on the north side of town. Noise complaints out the ass almost every night. Robert's folks own it. Seems to be a flophouse of some kind. I'd suggest trying there.”

“Looks like we got a game plan,” Neo said. She turned to Quan. “You wanna play it A-Team style?”

“Sounds like fun,” Quan said. “Me, Neo, and the twins are rolling in.”

“I thought we agreed we weren't going to hunt them down,” Talia said.

“Change of plans,” Neo said. “We're ending this as quickly as possible.”

Quan nodded. “Talia, I want you on Cerri.”

The Watcher nodded in return. “I'll make sure nothing happens to her.” She turned to look at the girl. “Family watches out for family.”

“Always wanted a creepy British Aunt,” Cerri said, smiling.

“Funny,” Talia said, chuckling.

“Girls,” Neo said, looking at the twins. “Gear up. Load up how you want but nothing overly heavy. Not yet, anyway.”

The pair looked at each other. For several seconds, they simply stared at one another. Sadiira cocked her head with a raised eyebrow. Nadiira furrowed hers. Sadiira then shook her head and turned back to Neo. “Give us a few minutes.” They then began gathering weapons and ammunition. Neo and Quan donned their body armor.

Talia stepped up to Neo. “Be careful. These men are not in their right mind.”

Neo wrapped her arms around the woman and kissed her intently. “See?” she said, gently. “Now  _that_  creeps me out.”

Cerri likewise hugged Quan. “Don't get dead.”

“Didn't plan on it,” Quan said, embracing the petite drummer.

“Well, do me a favor and let me know when you  _do_  plan on getting dead. That way I can talk you out of it.” Cerri returned.

The big woman chuckled. “You got it.”

The four of them loaded up the big red Chevy and pulled away from the trailer, taking the long maintenance road around the airport. “What do they plan on doing?” Talia asked Cerri.

“You ever seen the A-Team?”

“I saw the movie,” the Watcher offered. “It was alright.”

“Meh,” Cerri said, shrugging. “I've seen worse. Seen better but seen worse. The TV show was actually better but it was incredibly cheesy. They always followed a basic formula. Someone hires the A-Team to handle a problem. Usually, the whole big guy bullying the little guy scenario. Kinda like what we got goin' on in this town. Cops won't do anything because they can't prove shit. So the A-Team boys go to the bad guys' hideout, kick in the front door and lay the smackdown, giving the basic ultimatum of 'get out of town or find out what your left testicle tastes like' kind of deal. That's what the girls are going to do. Send a message.”

“So they're going to pick a fight with a gang?” Talia asked, somewhat worried.

“Pretty much, yeah. But that's what we want,” Cerri said, sitting back down behind her laptop.

“Um…why?” Talia moved over beside her.

“Three reasons. First, it gets the gang off the townspeople's backs. Second, it gets them to make mistakes. They'll be so mad at us, that they'll start doing whatever it takes to get to us. They'll start operating in broad daylight.”

“That's two reasons. What's the third?”

“It's gonna be funny as hell watching these guys try to take on my girls,” Cerri said, smiling. “I can guarantee you that none of these guys know what they hell they're in for. They're used to normal people. Average folks that get freaked out at the sight of a gun.” She shook her head. “Neo doesn't know how to be afraid. Quan's tats keep her from really getting hurt. Even a bullet wouldn't do much unless it's a headshot. Even then, it's even money in pick-'em. Then you have the twins. These are the kind of girls that are so into guns, they watch FPS Russia on Youtube and fondle themselves. Guys look at Hustler and Playboy. The twins read Guns and Ammo.” Cerri brought up the GPS system and dialed in on the truck.

“I just worry about Alice. She's so…”

“Bat shit fucking insane?” Cerri asked. “You get used to it.”

“She isn't insane. That's just it.”

“Trust me, Talia. You're about the only person on Earth that thinks that.”

“She's completely lucid,” Talia said, matter-of-fact.

“So she's a high functioning psycho,” Cerri said. “I'm not baggin' on her. I'm glad she's nuts. Her being a hammer in the wrench drawer…”

“I'm, I'm sorry. A hammer in the wrench drawer?” Talia asked.

“Sorry. I sleep with a mechanic. I mean she's not quite where she belongs in the brains department,” Cerri said, looking at the Watcher. “Dwight from Sin City said something about Marv. He had the rotten luck of being born in the wrong century. That, largely is Neo's problem. She's a twelfth-century soul in the modern world. She'd be more at home in the pits of a gladiatorial arena or on some distant battlefield swinging an axe into somebody's face.”

Talia thought a moment and honestly couldn't argue with that. It was an incredibly sound observation. “I think she would at that. What about the other girls?”

“Truthfully, I could see Quan standing right beside her, doing the same thing. All Red Sonja and shit. Chain mail bikini with a sword big enough to clear old growth, just mowing people down.”

“That's the fantasy talking,” Talia said, chuckling. “Anna is quite an intelligent woman. I believe she'd don armor appropriate to the time. She'd more likely as not be in Europe. Not Hyboria.”

“Let me dream, dammit!” Cerri said.

“What about the twins?” Talia asked her, leaning against the counter. “What century are they most at home in?”

“Oh, they're modern all the way.” Cerri shook her head. “They couldn't live without modern weaponry.” She looked at Talia again. “Did you see what they were building?” As Talia shook her head, Cerri got up and moved over, flipping open a large fireproof trunk. “Take a look at this.”

It looked like a massive six barreled rotary cannon of some sort. “What on Earth is it?” She knelt next to it, checking it out.

“From what Sadiira said, it's a one-off. A six in one .50 caliber chain gun. Fires the same bullets that their sniper rifles fire. Four thousand rounds per minute.”

“Jesus tap-dancing Christ!” Talia said, incredulously. “What on Earth, could you  _possibly_  need that kind of firepower for?”

“Reasons,” Cerri said. “It's the same theory as a condom.” She knelt and closed the chest. “Better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.”

“Yes, because one never knows when they're going to need enough firepower to punch a hole through a mountain,” Talia said, shaking her head.

“May never need to but imagine how secure you'd feel knowing that you  _could_.” Cerri offered, chuckling.

“And you all believe Alice to be the insane one,” Talia said, quietly. “Psychopaths. All of you.”

“Could be worse,” Cerri said. “We could be normal.”

“What I wouldn't give,” Talia said with a sigh.

“If the world were normal, you'd be out of a job,” Cerri said.

Talia had to admit, the girl had a point.


	13. Chapter 13

From behind the wheel of the Chevy, Quan could tell that Neo was antsy. Given that they were about to go and break some heads, it was taken as read that that was always the angry teen's state of being. But something about this time seemed… _different._  Neo wasn't just angry. That she could have understood. No, the girl seemed to be almost enraged. “What's the matter, Neo?” She finally asked.

Neo sighed. Of all of those in her life, Quan truly,  _truly_  understood her better than anyone. They'd been together the longest. Months before any of the rest had come into the picture. It was plain from the start of their relationship that Quan could read her like a book. “I don't know,” she said, honestly. “I just…I just can't stand things like this.  _People_  like this. I mean, I suppose you could spin it that vampires are no worse and all that happy fuckin' horseshit but I don't know. I mean vampires are scum for the most part but you get right down to it, vampires are just being vampires. Hunting people down and feeding on them is what they  _do_. Like any predator animal, it's all about the hunt and the kill. Not much more to it than that. I suppose the argument could be made that they have a choice but…” She shook head. “Then you have assholes like these guys. Motherfuckers that are terrorizing people because they think it's funny, for entertainment. There's really no rhyme or reason to it. They're  _just_  being dicks. For fuck's sake, Quan. Isn't there enough shitty stuff going on in the world without adding this kind of crap to the mix? This is Newport.” She motioned around. “Look at it. It's fuckin' beautiful here. There's tons of shit to do, there's plenty of places to eat. It's a fucking haven from the supernatural. If not for these fucks, it would be ideal. If I weren't so mentally fucked up I'd move here with Talia and just live our lives, eatin', and fuckin'.”

Quan chuckled. As she listened to the girl, she knew full well where she was coming from. It's always been her experience that humanity was by far a crueler monster than any that stalked the shadows and the night. “Well, take heart, pissy-britches. We're gonna be solving the problem very shortly.”

“Oh, I know. And I'm gonna enjoy every God damn second of it, believe me. Danforth took us off the leash. Means I can go full fuckin' tilt on these motherfuckers and not sweat the blood trail,” Neo said.

“Just keep in mind, these are humans, Neo. They ain't vampires. They can't take the same abuse.” Quan offered.

“You seriously trying to put a rein on me, Quan?” Neo asked her.

“Oh no,” she said, shaking her head. “There's just gonna be a lot of these guys. So don't waste time on one dude. It usually takes you thirty seconds to a minute to put a vampire to the ground, depending on how old he is. These guys should take considerably less.”

Neo smiled. “I thought you were gonna try to play to my humanity or some shit.”

“I tend not to try to appeal to parts of you that are nonexistent.”

“I have a sense of compassion and humanity,” Neo said, furrowing her brow.

“The last time you got regular fries instead of curly fries from the Jack In the Box by our warehouse and the girl didn't budge, you punched her in the mouth so hard, you broke her jaw.”

“Fuck that bitch,” Neo said. “You know…you'd think that the employees would warn a motherfucker not to get my order wrong. The rest of them have figured it out.” She shook her head. “I even had curly fries on the damn receipt. She still insisted that I got curly fries and that I just brought regular fries up to the counter so I wouldn't have to pay for 'em. None of us orders their regular fuckin' French fries.”

“And she had to have major surgery on her mouth because of it,” Quan said, chuckling.

“And five bucks says that when she gets back to work and I walk through the door, after she pisses herself, she's gonna get my shit perfect from here on in.”

“I'm still amazed that the cops won't arrest you for shit like that,” Quan said.

“You know full well why. I get arrested I stop doing what I do. Portland can't afford that,” Neo said. She grinned. “Because I am the warrior.”

“No,” Quan said.

“What?” Neo asked as they pulled off the main road on the north end of Newport.

“I said no.” Quan reiterated.

“No…what?”

“You are never,  _ever_  allowed to quote lyrics from that song.”

“That song is awesome,” Neo said. “Shooting at the walls of heartache. Bang, bang…” She stopped when Quan's hand slapped over her mouth.

The big woman looked at her. “I said…no. There will be no Scandal in my presence. I already listen to you sing that shit in the shower.”

Neo looked at her and nodded. Quan removed her had. “You just don't know good music. That song is fun and it kicks ass. Especially the cover Max does.”

“Yeah, but when she plays it in concert, she's got the singer from Witch Hammer doing it. Huge difference. He sings awesome.”

“You think he sings better than me?”

“That song? Absolutely. And not to put too fine a point on it but Max would smoke Sadiira on the six-string.” Quan looked at the girl in the rear view. “Sorry.”

“Not like it isn't true,” Sadiira said. “She's been doing it longer. And she's never had her hands broken.”

“You still rock the axe, though,” Neo said. “I love the way you play. And I love that after a few songs, you start looking like you're trying to fuck your guitar. It's really prevalent when you play  _Warrior's Soul_.”

Sadiira actually blushed. “I pattern my playing after Lita Ford.”

“Fuck she's hot,” Neo said. “Still.”

“From the neck down, sure. But her face…I don't know. She hasn't aged well,” Quan said.

“Oh, I'd still bury my tongue in that shit. I still put the mack on Bombshell whenever I see her.”

“Man, Panzer is gonna…” Quan began but was interrupted.

“Plug a bomb in everyone's ass? Build a wall with the bodies of the dead?” Neo asked, smiling.

“You can stop now,” Quan said, flatly. “Before I chuck your ass out of this truck at speed.” She pointed. “There's the house.”

The large home rested on the hillside, supported by a series of wooden posts. It was obviously a higher end home. The lights were on and the music was an entirely forgettable techno-metal mix being played at thrasher metal volumes. It was perched high up, overlooking the beautiful Pacific Ocean.

Immediately, the jovial tone changed. “Alright,” Neo said, nodding. “How do we wanna play this?”

“I say we launch 40 millimeter high explosive grenades into the house and blow it up,” Sadiira said. “We'd got some in the back.”

“You brought grenades?” Quan asked turning to look at the girls. “Seriously?”

“This surprises you?” Neo asked, eyeing the big woman. “Did you forget who you were talking to?”

“It's just that we're going to deal with a bunch of street punks, not storming the Entebbe Airport.”

“What the fuck?” Neo asked. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Operation Entebbe. Took place in July 1976 in Uganda. Israeli Special Forces rescued 103 hostages from a hijacked French Airliner. Also made into a rather good movie with Charles Bronson, Yaphett Kotto and a really young James Woods,” Sadiira said.

“Okay. Nerds,” Neo said. A moment later, she felt a sting on the side of her face where Quan slapped her. “Ow,” she said, rubbing her cheek. “What was that for?”

“You listen to Scandal,” Quan said. “You know nothing.”

“Why do I keep you around again?” Neo asked.

“You can't drive for shit and don't know how to play bass to save your life,” Quan said. “And you like staring at my ass when I work on my van.”

“Fair point,” the potential conceded.

“So can we blow it up or not?” Nadiira asked.

“No, you cannot blow the house up,” Quan said.

“Ugh,” Nadiira said, as they all got out of the truck. “Fine.” She loaded the M-32 six shot grenade launcher and handed it to Sadiira.

“We won't blow up the house,” Sadiira offered. She took aim and fired three rounds. The grenades sailed through the air and impacted at the base of each of the three pylons that supported the house, blowing them apart.

Neo and Quan watched, stunned as the house tilted and began falling. “Jesus…” “Christ,” the pair said, respectively. The lights immediately went out and the music was replaced by the sounds of people screaming. The residence slid partially down the incline then twisted and buckled, to roll and crumble apart. Parts of the rocky slope broke off as the home disintegrated. The noise was incredible. It sounded to everyone around like an earthquake. After several minutes, the wreckage came to rest on the beach. A few people could be seen milling about, clawing their way out of the refuse.

Both Neo and Quan slowly looked to the twins. “That was a touch much, don't you think?” Quan said.

Sadiira looked at her in frustration. “Well, you said we couldn't blow up the building.” She pointed. “So we didn't.”

“No, you just sent it cascading down the fuckin' hillside,” Quan snapped, looking at the house.

“But we didn't blow it up,” Sadiira defended.

“Oh, because this is so much better,” the big woman returned, shaking her head. It was amazing to her the lengths the pair were willing to go to. “Now everyone can get crushed to death instead of incinerated. Yes, this is far kinder.”

“There is just no pleasing you, is there?” Sadiira shot back.

“We were going to kill them anyway,” Nadiira said. “Now let's get down there and finish the job.” With that, she lifted the MP5K to her chest and began trotting down the hill. Neo smiled and followed along behind her.

“You coming?” Sadiira said, putting the grenade launcher away and grabbing the matching weapon to her sister's.

“Some days I think y'all are crazy as shithouse rats,” she said before following the other three to the beach below.

They descended to the sand and moved with purpose toward the frantic and confused people as they scrambled from the now burning and destroyed flotsam. It was known that the sisters had nothing even approaching mercy. Much like Neo, they saw nothing but a cold hard objective. Targets to be put down. Nothing more, nothing less.

Quan initially felt a pang of regret for what the four of them were about to do but it was forgotten in the light of one simple fact. People like this wouldn't hesitate to kill each and every one of them. And they'd be willing to sacrifice multiple innocents in the process.

Many would admonish the girls for being just as bad as these gang members. Just because they were cold-blooded killers didn't mean the four of them had to be. To those individuals, Quan would agree. The girls of Demon Queller weren't cold-blooded killers. They were demon hunters. They killed those that preyed on fear, pain, and terror. Just because they wore human faces, lived human lives… _didn't_  make them  _human_.

And sometimes…to do what was needed, to do what was right, the heroes had to be villains.

And the members of the Coast 3-0 were learning that lesson in painful clarity.

 

Talia paced back and forth. She couldn't help but be worried. Cerri had been able to get a direct real-time satellite feed, courtesy of the Initiative and was watching the girls travel along. It was agonizing to her. “What do you think they'll do? Rough them up a little and deliver an ultimatum?” She asked Cerridwen.

The petite drummer turned her head slowly and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Really?” She cocked her head. “Is, is that what you really think they're going there for?”

Talia stared intently, her face slowly drawing more concerned. “Isn't it?”

“Talia…they're  _hunting_.” Cerri offered. “You…you _do_ know what that means?”

“Please tell me that doesn't mean what I think it does,” she said, fear making her voice crack.

“Let me paint it plain,” Cerri said, turning fully toward her. “Quan, Neo, and the twins are going to go to that house and kill every living breathing thing within those walls.”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “No, they…they  _can't_.”

“They can. And they will,” Cerri said. “Because they have to. To keep me, you,  _everyone_  safe, they have to.”

“That's murder,” Talia said. She wasn't speaking from any true moral high ground. In her previous postings, she'd had to kill humans to accomplish her objectives. But she never did so lightly and never without absolute necessity. And she couldn't argue that there was a part of her that agreed with Cerri. These men were the worst sort and if given the chance, they'd come after all them with great vengeance and furious anger. Their hatred and their revenge would be biblical if all the girls were going to do was rattle a few cages.

On the screen, they watched the depravity unfold. As Talia did so, she couldn't help but be mortified. The reasonable,  _humane_  part of her saw what was transpiring as nothing but senseless slaughter. She made no bones that during the whole ordeal of dealing with the gang that some would perish. It was an unavoidable certainty. When angering girls of Neo and the twins' mental states of being, you sort of got what you deserved. Now, she was being shown that it would never get that far. That there were four girls killing indiscriminately because… “I can't believe they'd do something like this.”

“Where have you been living the past few weeks? Under a rock?” Cerri said. “You can't honestly stand there and tell me that this surprises you.”

“It does, rather,” Talia said. “It also greatly disappoints me.”

“You know what would be more disappointing?” Cerri asked, rising from her seat and moving toward the woman. She hopped and punched Talia in her chest, gently. “Taking a bullet through here. Having to stare at Neo, looking into her eyes as she holds you while you die.” She narrowed her eyes. “Of course, it won't be all bad. The chances are good that just before you die, you'll get to see her lose what little is left of her mind. You'll be ushered across the river Styx, watching the boatman pole you along to the soundtrack of a girl's soul… _dying_.” She saw the shocked expression on her face. “Or…you can shut up, be supportive of the fact that  _that_  girl is choosing to be a horror beyond imagining out there,” She poked Talia in the stomach. “So you can stand in  _here_  and be disgusted. Human or not, some people just have to die because they won't learn any other way. We've all come to accept that. If you wanna run with this group, you're gonna have to accept it, too.” Cerri turned and went back to the screen.

Talia stood petrified. “Alice…” She said, her voice soft.

 

The twins walked through the throng, gunning people down. They let those that looked to be innocent go. They were after only those that they knew to be members of the gang. Those individuals were burned down without mercy.

Neo, like the pair of mocha-skinned gunstresses, stalked along likewise pounding gang members into lifeless meat. Few, if any seemed to truly know what was happening.

After several minutes, the slaughter was at an end. Nothing on the beach moved. “Find him,” Neo said as she began looking through the debris of the house.

Quan, having taken out her own fair share of gang members, nodded and likewise began searching the refuse.

It took almost a half hour for them to locate the leader of the gang. One Robert West. He'd managed to free himself of the rubble and crawl a little down the beach. He was a bit scraped up but seemed none the worse for wear. He tried to rise to his feet. Neo gripped his throat and lifted him from the ground. “Now that we've got your attention…” She said, grinning at him.

“Put him down,” Sadiira said, moving up to the pair.

“Who…are…you?” He croaked as he tried to pry her hand free of his neck.

“I don't remember giving you permission to talk, asswipe.” Neo snapped.

Sadiira put a hand on Neo's thick forearm. “Put him down, Neo.”

The potential turned and regarded her a moment. Then, she dropped him to the dirt. “You wanna handle this?” She asked. “That ain't your style.”

“We're feeling creative today.” The girl returned.

Neo put her hands up and backed away, taking her spot next to Quan. She crossed her arms and leaned in closer to the big woman. “It's still gonna be funny,” she said, happily.

Quan just nodded but said nothing. She understood the necessity of it but she didn't like that it would have inevitably come to this.

Sadiira and Nadiira both stood, submachine guns in hand staring at the gang leader. Without warning, both girls fired a burst into his knees, turning the joints into Deviled Ham. He, of course, screamed into the night. “Now,” Sadiira moved up and knelt beside him. “I want you to understand something, Mr. West. This game you've been playing, this…this little clubhouse here, with your pugnacious chums and your secret handshakes and pathetic fear mongering?” She shook her head. “That's all over now. You see, my friends and I? We're part of a much larger and far more terrifying world than you can possibly imagine. If you'd seen half of what we have, walked a fraction of the roads we've traveled, you'd be spending the rest of your life in a straight jacket screaming yourself hoarse every night for the rest of your miserable life.”

“Who the fuck-?” He began to ask but never got the words out. Nadiira quickly moved forward and bashed him across the face with her weapon. She said nothing.

“Don't interrupt me, Mr. West,” Sadiira said, calmly. “We're who we are. Knowing or not knowing isn't going to gain you any advantage or disadvantage, so we won't bother with the introductions. I just want you to see that you are not strong, Mr. West. You are not in control. The second my friends and I arrived in this town, your reign of terror was over. Four of your… goons, because I can't bring myself to refer to them as soldiers. Four of your goons picked a fight with the four of us. They're currently in the city jail. But they started a war that you were not prepared for.” She motioned around. “This is the result of that war. It ended, just as should have, with you on your back, bleeding.” She rose to her feet. “You are a child, Mr. West. You move about this town, playing as though you're hard, strong, and in charge. And for the most part, the townsfolk buy it. They roll over for you, swelling not only your head but giving confidence to the men beneath you. A child… _playing_  at war. But we four are far more than a collection of girls, Mr. West. We  _are_ soldiers. And when it comes to war?” She shook her head. “We never play.” She leveled the MP5K toward his head. “Goodbye, Mr. West.” She squeezed the trigger and let out a burst that sprayed his head across the sand. “May you find the peace in death that you never found in life.” She turned and moved back toward the truck.

“Or, you know. Rot in fuckin' hell. Whatevs,” Neo said, shrugging and following her friends. “I'm fuckin' hungry. Anyone wanna grab a burger on our way home?”

“I could eat,” Quan said. “Ladies?”

“Sure,” Sadiira said. Her sister simply nodded.

It was almost an hour and a half later when they made it back to the trailer. The police responded to the explosions and subsequent gunfire but when they learned who was responsible, they followed orders and let the girls go.

Talia was in the back bedroom when they arrived. Neo took the pair of bags she'd gotten from Arctic Circle and carried them into the back as Cerri, Quan, and the twins chatted.

“Hey Talia,” Neo said as she pushed the accordion style door aside. “I got you a Black Angus Mushroom and Swiss and some sweet potato fries,” she said, looking at the woman.

The Watcher sat with her legs up, her arms wrapped around them and her head resting on her knees. She lifted her face and looked at the potential. It was obvious that she'd been crying.

Neo stared at her a moment. She knew full well why the woman was weeping. She was immediately torn. One the one hand, she was somewhat angered. Talia was more likely as not, upset at what she just watched the girl do. That actually pissed Neo off. Since the pair had gotten together, she'd made no secret about who,  _what_  she was. And for the most part, Talia had accepted it. Talia had proclaimed to love her for all that she was and all that she would ever be. So to be upset by it now seemed almost…insulting.

But on the other hand, Neo did care a great deal for Talia. She respected the fact that the woman had stuck with her even knowing what she was. That took balls and Neo admired people with that kind of loyalty. To her, Talia was one of the girls. She was part of the family. So to see her crying hurt Neo. She didn't like it when her friends and loved ones cried. It pissed her off and made her wanna tear the fucker that was responsible apart. But in order for her to do that, this time she would have to look inward. “I'm a monster, Talia,” she said, finally. “I'm…” She set the food down and began slowly removing her gear. “I'm sorry if that upsets you.”

Talia wanted to speak, to say that she understood but she couldn't. She let Neo say what she wished without interruption.

“When I first was told I was a potential slayer, I was bewildered.” She gave a smirk. “Bet you didn't know that I even knew what bewildered meant, did you?” Talia gave her a small smile. “I'd always suspected that there were things in the night that preyed on humans. Dad never really came out and  _said_  it but he and uncle Alan, they knew. They also did their best to prepare me for it, before I was handed to Reggie.” She stripped down to her bare skin and climbed onto the bed, sitting on her knees in front of Talia. She was careful not to touch the woman. “Do you know what the first lesson Reggie taught me was?” Talia shook her head. “NMRF.”

“Wh-what is NMRF?” Talia asked her.

“No mercy, regret or forgiveness. Every opponent is to die. Everything that threatens you, you destroy. Utterly, completely, and without compassion. Monsters show no remorse. To fight something so terrible, you _have_ to be worse.” She sighed heavily. “It was what I've been living by ever since. Tonight, I saw monsters. I'm not going to sit here and tell you that I have this nagging guilt for taking human lives because you deserve better than that. I will never lie to you. I will always be honest with you, even if the truth hurts you. Because I never lie to those I love. I don't do it to them,” She pointed out into the trailer. “I won't do it to you. I feel nothing. The world can turn or not for the death of those men. I enjoyed taking out the bastards I got to and find the whole fiasco to be a hell of a story to tell. But I don't feel bad for it. Do you know why?”

“Maybe. I personally think it's because you're apocalyptically damaged in the head,” Talia said. Her statement was equal parts truth and snide humor.

Neo chuckled and nodded. “As much as I'd like to argue with that…” She shook her head. “That isn't it. It's that these are men that carry guns. They carry guns for the sole purpose of scaring and murdering people. They carry guns because they know, at some point, they're going to have to use them. And the chances are good, those that they use them on are going to be innocent people like the little girl at the trailer park you pointed out. These are the kinds of bastards that would hose that family down for nothing more than sheer petulance. No rhyme, no reason. Just a bad mood. And what's worse is that they'd laugh about it, because they know that they'd get away with it because nobody in this town has any balls. Men like that  _have_  to be dealt with in a way that they understand and will actually solve the problem.”

“I know all of that,” Talia said. “But I didn't like watching it. I know the reasons. I've had to kill people in my line of work, so I can't sit here and damn you all for what you've done. It was just…it was just hard to see.”

“I'm sure it was. It's not every day you watch someone take out thirty plus people in the span of ten minutes.” Neo scooted closer and rested her hands on Talia's knees. “Like I said, I'm a monster, Tal. I'm a seventeen-year-old human girl. My head has to be in the game full force because I'm not as fast, as strong and as durable as the shit I tango with on a nightly basis. There are times when my body is literally  _screaming_  for me to stop. But I have no fear. I _can't_  be afraid.”

“It is by will alone you set your mind in motion,” Talia said, grinning.

“It is by the juice of sapho that thoughts acquire speed, the lips acquire stains, the stains become a warning. It is by will alone I set my mind in motion.” Neo finished. “I love that movie. Books sucked ass but that movie rocked.”

“I know what you believe yourself to be, Alice. But I know you are not a monster. Yes, you can _be_ monstrous but unlike them, you can pull back, dust yourself off and walk in the light.” She got to her knees. “You can be human.” She wrapped her arms about the girl. “You can be kind, caring, passionate…” She kissed the potential. “Loving and gentle. To me, you are never a monster. Out there, perhaps. But here, in my arms, loving me, you are ever the soft girl that I come to appreciate more than all of this muscle, all of this fighting prowess. I appreciate it so because…I am the only one that gets to see this side of you. It is mine.”

“So you don't find me disgusting because of what I did tonight?” Neo asked, holding her girlfriend tightly.

“No. I am a tad appalled by the act itself but I also understand the reasoning. And I understand the necessity of it. It was then. This is now.” She plundered Neo's lips with her own. “And I dare say that food smells rather appetizing.” She released the girl and snatched the bag from the end of the bed.

Neo chuckled and leaned back, digging into her own meal. “I love you, Tal,” she said, before biting her burger.

“I love you, too. Alice.”

“You know…you're the only one that I actually let call me Alice.” The girl said. “Everyone else I smack.”

“Why just me?”

Neo shrugged but said nothing as she ate. Talia smiled and chuckled. She knew full well why.


	14. Chapter 14

Detective Melissa Mason walked along slowly shaking her head as she observed the damage. Everyone, for miles around, heard what the locals were describing as a war being fought near an earthquake. The home of the West family was nothing more than a mountain of debris. The once beautiful seaside dwelling had been reduced to little more than flotsam on the beach.

The sun was just now cresting the hills to the east. Against her better judgment, she'd not gotten involved. Now, as she watched the bodybags being loaded into the coroner's van, she'd regretted her decision. Twenty-three bodies had been uncovered. A few yards down the sand, Robert West, the known leader of the Coast 3-0, was discovered with his brains splattered all over the sand. She'd nearly railed when she saw what was left of him. He'd obviously been made an example of.

She wasn't going to sit here and lie to herself. There was a part of her that was glad that the gang was all but destroyed. The girls of Demon Queller, if nothing else, did manage that in one fell swoop. They proved, beyond a shadow of a doubt that they were willing to cast their very humanity to the side and bring the fury of God's own thunder down upon any that sought to challenge them. What they did would save many. The gang had been running riot over the town for far too long.

But that part of her was small, in introspect. The much larger part of her, the  _human_  part of her, saw the current display as nothing short of monstrous. What the girls did, how they did it and why, to her, was simply overkill on a scale she'd never before witnessed outside of Middle East newsreels and romanticized Hollywood cinema.

Simply put; the girls of Demon Queller, in light of what they did just hours ago, seemed little more than a cell of homegrown terrorists. And it was made worse by the fact that, if this Admiral Danforth is to be believed, they had a government license to operate wherever, whenever, and against whomever they wished.

And  _that_  pissed her off. She was a sworn officer of the law. She'd taken an oath, a  _vow_  to protect and serve. And last night, government oversight or no, she'd broken that vow. She'd allowed four girls, with nothing to keep them in check but their own conscience to run rampant. And it was obvious that the girls had little if any true conscience among them. She sighed heavily and turned, walking back up the beach toward her car.

Once there, she sat and rested her head on the steering wheel. She could see gawkers standing behind the yellow crime scene tape, wondering what happened. She sat there for a few minutes and nodded. She reached over and lifted the handset on her radio. “Detective Mason to all available units. Backup requested at the Newport Municipal Airport to affect a dangerous arrest,” she said.

“Copy that, Detective Mason. All available units converge on the Newport Municipal Airport for officer assistance.” The dispatch officer announced over the radio.

She nodded and replaced the microphone. She then gunned it and sped away from the destroyed remains of the beach house and raced toward the airport. She hit the lights on her unmarked and shifted gears. At the moment she didn't really give a damn who the girls worked for. They had the blood of twenty-three people on their hands. She'd be damned if she was going to let that kind of thing stand in  _her_  town.

Cerri sat behind her laptop in the early hours of the morning, tapping away as the girls all slept. She had a partial eye on the cameras leading to the airport, just in case there were any more of the Coast 3-0 that wanted to get some sort of payback. She wasn't necessarily banking on it but she was a fan of better safe than sorry.

But, she was far more surprised when she saw a half a dozen patrol cars pulling onto the tarmac of the airport and racing toward their trailer. In the lead was a black unmarked Crown Victoria. She sighed and rose to her feet and moved over to her girlfriend. “Sweetie. I need you to get up. We've got company.”

Quan sat bolt upright. “Who is it? The gang boys?” She asked, immediately pulling on a pair of sweats and a tank top.

“No. It's the police. Led by our favorite Detective,” Cerri said.

“What?” Quan asked. “Danforth told her to leave us alone.”

“Looks like she has trouble with authority.” Cerri returned. She moved over and reached out to shake Sadiira awake. The girl's hand quickly snapped around Cerri's wrist. “Morning, sunshine,” she said, smiling into Sadiira's stern face. “Time to get back on the clock.”

“3-0 or 5-0?” The twin asked, sitting up. She absently tapped her sister in the arm.

“5-0,” Quan said. “Even though we've been vouched for, it looks like we're being arrested.”

Talia and Neo both wandered out of the backroom. Talia was clad in a half-shirt and a pair of panties. Neo was stark naked. “What the fuck is going on?” She asked, rubbing her eyes. By now, sirens could be heard drawing ever nearer.

“It seems we're going to get arrested,” Cerri said, moving back to her screen. “We've got about twenty seconds.”

Neo growled and quickly dressed. Talia did likewise. Quan moved to the window and looked out. The police pulled up in front of the trailer and quickly stepped out, taking cover as if they expected a standoff. She could see Detective Mason climb out of the unmarked with a bullhorn. “This is Detective Melissa Mason of the Newport Police Department. I order you to come out of the trailer quietly with your hands where we can see them. Failure will result in the use of lethal force.”

Sadiira growled and reached under the bed she and her sister slept on. “I'll show that fucking bitch lethal force,” she said. She pulled the six-shot grenade launcher out of her bag and immediately loaded it with high explosive charges.

“Put that down,” Quan said, staring at the girl.

The twins regarded her. “Why?” Sadiira asked. “They plan on shooting us. I say we fight fire with napalm.”

“Because we aren't cop killers,” Quan said, moving over and resting a hand on the weapon. “Gang bangers are one thing but these are men and woman doing their jobs.”

“We've got oversight from-,”

“No,” Neo said, stepping up. “Quan's right. Yeah, we laid the beat down on a bunch of crooked cops up in Whiticom but this is different. These guys ain't for sale. They ain't corrupt, at least that we know of. Right now, they're just scared and doin' their jobs. We ain't gonna hold that against them.”

“So what, we just let them arrest us?” Nadiira piped in. “I don't like the way that sounds.”

“They'll confiscate everything in here,” Sadiira said. “We're registered with all this hardware but the chances of us getting it all back is…” She let the comment hang.

Talia grinned and pulled out an ID. “As a duly recognized representative of Great Britain, I have diplomatic immunity. As does anything I own.”

Cerri quickly tapped away at her laptop. She hacked the department of motor vehicles and put the Chevy, the Raptor, and the trailer in the name of one Talia Turner. “There, done. Now they can't touch anything in this trailer. It's all protected.”

“Fair enough,” Neo said. “Put the hardware down, girls. We're gonna play it their way.” She turned to Cerri. “Get in touch with Danforth. Let him know what's going on.”

“I will,” she said, reaching for her cell.

Talia pulled Neo in and kissed her intently. “Be careful.”

“I will,” Neo said, before moving to the door. “We're coming out quietly. None of us are armed,” she shouted. “Against all better judgment,” she added softly.

All four girls left the trailer with their hands in the air. They moved a few steps and each of them dropped to their knees with their hands behind their heads.

Detective Mason stepped forward to stand tall before Neo. “I don't give one good Goddamn who you work for. No one pulls that kind of shit in my town.”

The girl looked up at her with a smug smile. She didn't say anything. Officers came forward and took the girl's hands and cuffed them behind their backs.

“Put her in my car and search the trailer. I want everything impounded. I don't care what it is.” Mason snapped.

As a pair of officers headed for the trailer, Talia intercepted them. “I don't think so,” she said, smiling.

“Get out of the way or I'll run your ass in for interfering with an arrest,” Mason said to her.

“Don't overstep your bounds, Detective.” Talia moved forward and showed her the ID she carried. “I've got diplomatic immunity. Which means you can't legally search anything of mine. Sadly, this trailer and those fine automobile qualifies.”

Mason snatched the ID from her and inspected it. “Says you're a cultural attaché for Britain.”

“That would be correct, Detective Mason.” She pulled a card from her wallet and handed it to the woman. “If you'd like, you can contact the British Embassy in Washington DC. They'll be more than happy to speak with you on the matter.”

Mason stared at her a moment. She then grinned and pulled her cell out. “I think I'll call that bluff.”

Talia chuckled. “Go right ahead.”

Mason dialed the number on the card she was given. “Great Britain Embassy and Headquarters of foreign affairs, how my I direct your call?” A chipper voice answered.

“Detective Melissa Mason of the Newport Police Department. I'd like to speak with someone regarding your cultural attaché.”

“Name of the individual you're inquiring about?” the girl asked.

“Talia Turner. I'm looking at her ID and a business card,” the Detective said, sternly.

Talia crossed her arms and waited patiently.

“One moment,” the woman returned. Mason was placed on hold for a few seconds.

“Yes, how can I help you?” A gruff British voice asked.

“Yes, I'm Detective Melissa Mason of the Newport Police Department, state of Oregon. I'm speaking with a Talia Turner who says she's a cultural attaché with the Embassy.”

“That would be correct, yes.” The man snapped. “Why are you speaking with her?”

Mason's face dropped. “I was merely confirming that she is who she said she was.”

“I can assure you, Detective, Miss Turner is exactly who she claims to be. Is there anything else?” He asked her.

“Um, no. That was it.”

“Good work Detective. It is nice to see someone in this country takes its security seriously,” Quentin Travers said, before ending the call.

As she hung up, Talia grinned widely. “I trust you're satisfied?”

Mason nodded, handing the ID and card back to the woman. “Looks like you're legit. But these four are still in a world of shit.”

“I've been given to understand they were acting under government oversight. That frees them from prosecution by local law enforcement and state courts. In fact, if memory serves, they can only be tried by the Federal Supreme Court.”

She shook her head. “I've got twenty-three dead bodies, Miss Turner. And these four are directly responsible. I've got eyewitness reports of them blowing the hell out of a mountainside and sending a half million dollar beach house crashing down to the ocean. That ain't shit I'm allowin' in my town. I don't give a fuck who okays it. Someone wants to come and take my badge for pulling a bunch of psychos off the streets they can. Until then, I'm still the law in this town and I'm doing my God damn job.”

Talia simply shrugged. “Very well. Just so you're aware that they'll all be out by lunch time.” She tapped Detective Mason on the chest. “And you'll be clearing out your desk.”

“We'll just have to see, won't we?” The Detective said. She turned and headed to her car.

Neo sat in the backseat quietly. She watched as the woman climbed in. “Can I ask you a question, Detective?” The woman looked at her in the rearview but said nothing as she pulled away from the trailer and headed to the main road. “Why is it you're so dead set on taking us down but you didn't lift a finger to stop that gang?”

“Unlike you, they weren't stupid.” Mason snapped. “Unlike you four little bitches-,”

“Quan is like, half a foot taller than you. Hell, in your bare feet, _I'm_ taller than you.” Neo interrupted.

“Unlike you four, they knew when to keep it quiet. Yeah, they were rowdy and broke the law but they didn't pull this kind of shit. They didn't go on a damn killing spree. They didn't use heavy ordnance in a public area.”

Neo had to give her that. “Fair enough,” she said, sighing. “What we did was overkill. I'm not gonna argue that. But sometimes overkill is underrated.”

“This isn't a movie, Miss Frog,” she said, looking back at Neo. She knew the girl hated being called that but at the moment she couldn't bring herself to give a shit. Neo let it pass. “This isn't a game. There is no reset button. I'm gonna do everything in my power to see to it that you four go away for a very, very long time.”

“Never happen,” Neo said. “We won't even see the inside of a courtroom. We won't even be sitting in your precinct long enough to produce ass-sweat.” She shook her head. “You're out of your league, Detective.”

“Tough words from someone in the backseat of my patrol car,” Mason said. She was quiet for a moment as she watched the patrol cars leave the airport. “You know,” She began. “Anna painted you as such a badass. When I first met with you, I was a little intimidated, I'm not gonna lie. You've been through some shit, I'm not gonna deny that,” she chuckled. “But you're still just a teenage girl that thinks she's more than she is.”

“I got a whole lot of people that would debate that with you, lady,” Neo said. “But whatever. Believe what you wanna believe. Your right.”

Detective Mason watched the last of the patrol cars turn back toward town. She then flipped on her blinker and turned the opposite direction, heading further south. Neo noticed this …and simply chuckled. She was pretty certain she knew what the woman had in store for her. She began mimicking the dueling banjo music from Deliverance. Detective Mason regarded her in the rearview but said nothing.

They drove for about ten minutes and pulled off onto a dirt road. She finally pulled the car to a stop. She climbed out, moved to the back, and opened the door. “Get out.”

Neo did was she was told. As soon as she was free of the car, she caught Detective Mason moving. The woman had produced a nightstick and swung it one handed at Neo's gut. Deciding to show off, the potential simply tightened her muscles and readied herself. The baton slammed into her abs…and Neo stood staring at her with a raised eyebrow. “Was that… supposed to hurt or something?”

Angered, Melissa swung and cracked the girl in the back of the knee. Neo was still handcuffed and hit the ground hard. Melissa moved over, set the nightstick down and began rolling her sleeves up. “I'm really gonna enjoy this.”

Neo watched her. “Do you want me to just lay here, or should I put up a fight? Make it look like I resisted arrest?”

“Oh, you can fight all you want. It really isn't gonna matter.”

Neo grinned. “Remember you said that when your shitting teeth.” She easily kicked herself to her feet. Mason watched in amazement. Neo then hopped straight into the air, tucking her knees to her chin and pulled her hands under her feet as she was in midair. When she came down, her cuffed hands were in front of her. The Detective was staring at her dumbfounded. “Oh, you ain't seen nothin’ yet.”

What Detective Melissa Mason witnessed at that moment put the fear of God into her. She'd arrested hundreds of people in her career. From emaciated drug addicts to four hundred pound bikers. And she'd never,  _ever_  watched anyone do what the teen accomplished.

With a grunt and a mighty tug of her powerful arms…Neo broke the chain securing her hands apart. Small glinting pieces of metal flipped out into the morning light. She grinned widely at the Detective. “Why Johnny Ringo. Looks like someone just walked over your grave,” Neo said in a bad southern accent. She shrugged her shoulders and rolled her head about, causing her neck to crack. “Time to dance, cop,” she said, moving toward the woman.

Mason knew, then and there that she'd seriously fucked up. She stepped back, drawing her gun and aiming it at Neo. “Stop.”

“No,” Neo said, snarling. “You chose this. You wanted this. Now that you've got it, you're gonna go all pussy on me?” She nodded her head. “Drop the gun. Let's settle it like professionals.” She smiled. “After all, ain't I just a teenage girl that thinks she's more than she is?” She kept walking forward as Detective Mason kept backing away. As Neo walked by the car, she snatched the nightstick. “Hell. I'll even let you use this.” She held it up. “Or are you just gonna plug me?” She shook her head. “Newsflash, sweetheart. Between me and you, it's exactly eleven feet. A world-class running back can make the forty-yard dash in a little over four seconds.” She grinned. “I can do it in a hair over three and a half. Do the math, Detective. I can get to you to you in less than a third of a second.” She grinned. “How many shots do you think you can get off in that time?”

“At least one,” Mason said, feeling a little more confident. She didn't have the chance to prove it before Neo let fly with the nightstick, hurling it with all her strength. It cracked into Melissa's hand, causing her to drop her gun.

“You were saying?” Neo asked, walking a little faster. She knelt and picked up both the gun and the nightstick. She tossed the nightstick into the woods and ejected the magazine from the pistol then pulled the slide off. She threw both pieces of it aside. “Now you're unarmed, Detective. What are you gonna do now?”

Mason was through running. “I've got nine years of Krav Maga under my belt, little girl. Let's see how you deal with that.”

“Sounds like fun. But before we get into that, can I beat you into paralysis, or would you rather I just knocked you out and forgo making a statement with you?”

Mason lunged at her with a hard straight kick. Neo sidestepped and caught her leg, moving to bring a hammer fist down onto the woman's knee. At the last second, she stopped. “That would have dislocated your knee. The nerve damage alone would have caused you to have physical therapy for months.” She quickly shot a foot out, taking the woman behind her standing leg, knocking her to the ground. “Better be more careful.”

Mason rolled onto her back and kicked herself to her feet. As soon as she was upright, Neo smacked her, open hand, across the face, knocking her back down. A large red welt shined on her cheek. “You're not fast enough to pull that move off with your opponent still standing.”

“You gonna fight or are you just gonna mouth off?” Mason asked, climbing to her feet.

“Well, fuck, lady. Someone has to teach you how to fight. I mean this is pathetic. You're going full tilt and you couldn't hit the broad side of a barn.”

“Why don't you come at me and show me what  _you_ got. See if you can get me,” Mason said.

Neo sighed. “If that's what you want. Just don't get mad at me when I break your ribs. Just to point it out, I'm gonna land a really hard body blow to your left side.” Neo pointed to her chest. “Right here. You ready?”

Mason nodded. “Gimme your best shot.” She tightened the muscles in her chest and readied for the blow. And was completely taken by surprise when Neo's foot cracked into the apex of her legs. She let out a strangled grunt and fell to the ground, gripping her crotch.

Neo watched her and just shook her head. “Jesus tap-dancing Christ,” she said, kneeling beside the woman. “You are  _dumb_. Did you  _honestly_  think I was going broadcast like that?” She sighed. “Christ, woman. How did you ever become a cop?” She used the woman's belt to subdue her, ripped her sleeve off to gag her and dragged her to the car. She tossed her into the back and climbed in. “Stupid ass.”

Neo drove calmly the police station and stepped out of the cruiser. She moved to the backseat and lifted the Detective over her shoulder in a fireman's carry and walked into the station. “My name's Alice Frog,” she said to the woman behind the counter. “This is Detective Melissa Mason. I think her ID is on her somewhere. I was supposed to be arrested but she decided to go all Mississippi on me and took me someplace to the south of the airport. I ended up kicking her ass and tying her up. I'm here to turn myself in.” She set the woman down. Rage boiled in the Detective's eyes. “She's a little upset. She thought I was just a teenage girl. She learned different.”

“I'm terribly sorry for the confusion, Miss Frog.” A middle-aged man with a balding head and white, wispy hair said from the door that led further into the station. “Chief Joshua Walker. Your friends are already on their way back to the airport now.” He stepped up and offered his hand. “We received your orders directly from Washington DC. We didn't realize that you were a special detachment with Homeland Security.”

She took it and smiled. “No harm done, sir,” she said, happily.

“I just want you to know that the views of…” He looked at Mason. “ _Former_  Detective Mason here, are not shared by the rest of the station and the good people of Newport. Had we known that Robert West and his friends were acting as informants for Middle-Eastern terrorists, we would have taken the threat more seriously.”

Neo smiled. “Hey. Sometimes the best place to hide is in plain sight.”

“Thanks for understanding,” he said to her.

“You served in the military, didn't you?” She asked.

He nodded. “Desert Storm and Somalia.” He tapped his leg. “Medical discharge in late '93.”

She shook his hand again. “Thank you for serving,” she said to him. “And to be honest, sir? I like Newport. It's quiet, the locals are friendly, and the food is good. I  _am_  sorry that my girls and I fucked that peace up last night.”

“You only did what you had to do, young lady. It's nice to see someone your age actually caring for her country. That makes me feel good to see that.” He looked past her to the blue Ford sitting in the parking lot. “I think your ride is here.”

Neo turned and looked. “Looks like. Take care, Josh,” she said, before turning and heading outside. She climbed into the passenger seat to see Talia driving. “Quan's actually letting you drive?”

“She's working with the twins getting the trailer connected. We had to postpone the concert,” Talia said, racing back toward the south end of town.

“What? Why?” Neo asked.

“Rite called Cerri while you all were getting booked.” Talia offered. “It seems we're needed in Victorville, California.”

“Um…why?”

“We're going there to rendezvous with Alexia, Faith, and Katarina. Apparently, it's a vampire town. Like Tillamook,” She looked to Neo. “Only worse.”

The potential grinned widely. “Sounds like my kind of town.”


	15. Chapter 15

She ran for everything she was worth. The girl beside her was breathing heavily and fighting for air. Suddenly, the young blonde stumbled and fell, hitting the concrete hard. Rain stopped and turned back to help the smaller girl to her feet. “Come on, Sarah. We have to keep moving.”

Sarah rose unsteadily to her feet, then cried out in pain and crashed back to the ground, gripping her ankle. “I can't,” she said, terror filling her voice.

Rain knelt and lifted the girl's pant leg. She could immediately tell that the ankle was broken. In just a scant few seconds, it was already beginning to swell and was jutting at an odd angle. She turned to the head of the alley and could see the trio of vampires searching for the pair of them. She frantically looked down at the blonde girl. “It's me they want,” she said, angrily. “I could hide you someplace and lead them away.”

Sarah growled and tried to get up. Again her ankle buckled. Rain took her arm around her shoulder. “Come on. There's a house around the corner. We'll see if they'll let us in.” The pair moved as fast as they could. The three undead beasts had caught their scent and were now in pursuit. Rain dragged Sarah out of the alley and up to the house in question. It was a nice, two-story affair. She helped the girl up to the door and knocked loudly. “Someone help!” She shouted. “We need in. I've got an injured girl here.” There was no answer. “Come on! Open the door, dammit. We need help!”

“Go away!” A sharp female voice shouted.

“Fuck it,” Rain said, drawing back and put her boot into the door, smashing it in. The woman on the other side of it screamed as Rain dragged Sarah into the room. She quickly pushed the door closed behind her.

The home was very well appointed and smelled strongly of privilege. The woman was average looking and middle-aged. She had long dark unkempt hair and was currently wearing a nightgown that clung to her soft form. “Get out of my house!” She shouted, angrily.

Rain looked at her. “Stop yelling,” she said, taking Sarah over to the sofa. “Her ankle is broken. Otherwise, we'd have kept running. But she can't walk, let alone run. She needs help.”

“I don't want those… _things_  following you here.” The woman shouted.

Rain moved over and grabbed the woman's shirt. “They're gonna know we're here if you don't stop your screaming.” She pointed to Sarah. “Just let her stay until dawn, alright. If I can, I'll come back and pick her up. If I'm not here, then call an ambulance and have them come and get her. Either way, just let her stay until then.” She softened her expression. “Please? She's the only friend I've got left. I'll leave and try to draw them away from here.”

The woman bit her lip and looked at Sarah. The girl wasn't more than fourteen years of age and looked to be horribly frightened. “I'll take her to the hospital in the morning,” she said, sadly. “I'm just…those things terrify me.”

“Trust me, they terrify me, too,” Rain said. “Thank you.” She moved over and knelt in front of Sarah. “I've gotta go. I’ll come find you at the hospital.”

“Why can't you just stay here with me? It's safer,” Sarah said, pleading.

“You know why,” Rain said. “Because they'll find me. After what I've done to them, they'll never stop looking for me.”

Sarah lowered her head and nodded. “Please don't die.” She began crying. “I'm tired of losing friends.”

“So am I,” Rain said, hugging the petite blonde. “But help is on the way. We've just gotta hold out until it gets here.”

“I hope it gets here soon,” Sarah said.

“What do you mean help is on the way?” The woman asked, moving to sit beside Sarah.

“I managed to get a phone call into the S3 dot com emergency line. They're sending Slayer Two, Slayer Three, and Hunting Kat to help. I think she said something about another group but couldn't make any promises.”

The woman shrugged. “I have no idea what you're talking about.” She rose to her feet and moved to her garage. “Give me a moment,” she said, leaving the room. She came back a couple of minutes later with a brush knife in a plastic scabbard. “This might help. It's not much but it's better than trying to survive the night with nothing but your bare hands.”

Rain took it and skinned it. It was glossy and razor sharp. “This will work.” She stopped and moved over to the window, looking outside. She could see the vampires milling about the yard. It was obvious they were looking for her. “They've found our scent,” she said. She turned to the woman. “Rain,” she said, holding out her hand.

“Catherine.” She shook Rain's hand. “I'll keep her safe.”

“They can't get in without an invitation,” Rain said. “I'm gonna go out the back and circle around. Like I said, it's me they want.”

“Why do they want you?” Catherine asked as they moved to the back door.

“Because,” Rain said, as she unlocked the door. She pulled up the hood on her jacket. “I killed their master.” She was off like a shot, running with everything she had through the backyard.

Catherine shut the door and locked it. She then moved to the front room and took a seat on her coffee table, lifting Sarah's leg to settle her ankle on a pillow between her knees. She then began checking everything over. “Your friend seems really brave.” The woman said as she prodded the ankle.

Sarah nodded. “I know,” she said, softly. “That's why I love her.”

Catherine looked at her in surprise. “How old are you?” She asked.

“Seventeen.” Sarah smiled. “I look young for my age, I know. I still get carded at rated R movies.”

“Does she know how you feel?”

Sarah shook her head. “I don't think so. I've never said anything. I'm too scared.”

“Let's hope that you can get a chance to speak your heart at some point.” Catherine offered. “Yeah, it's broken. Looks like a joint fracture.” She then looked at Sarah. “I'm a nurse.”

“Seems we lucked into the right house,” Sarah said. “Sorry, we had to just barge in.”

“No, it's alright. I should have let you in.” She shook her head. “I'm sorry.” Sarah smiled at her and fought to keep her eyes open. “Go ahead and get some sleep.” She rose to her feet and helped the girl get settled on the sofa. She spread a blanket over her. Sarah was out in seconds. Catherine sighed heavily and settled into the large easy chair. She flipped the feet out and leaned back. She was too wired to sleep anyway.

 

Rain ran out into the alley and turned, heading toward the end of the block. She came back into the street and slid to a stop as the vampires slowly crept up to the door. “Hey!” She shouted. “Looking for me?”

They turned as one and growled, racing toward her. She spun and ran for everything she was worth. She knew she couldn't outrun them. The only saving grace she had was both she and Sarah were free runners. They could go pretty much anywhere. The vampires weren't expecting that. She was the faster of the two, to be honest. Sarah was no slouch but she was new to Parkour and didn't have Rain's moves.

But without the blonde girl to slow her down, she could fun full tilt. Which she was more than willing to do. She could feel the fatigue of the hours' long flight across the small town of Victorville, California.

She ran along with the three demons close behind. She veered off into an old construction site. She could occupy them for hours with the obstacles within. She quickly scaled the wall of a corrugated steel building and raced along the roof. She made it a half dozen steps when the roof caved in. She pulled her arms and legs in to keep herself from getting slashed open on the jagged edges of the metal.

She hit the concrete floor within and rolled with the impact, coming to her feet. The room was completely empty, save for a few pallets and a few odd construction materials. “Dammit,” she said, suddenly panicking.

The metal door suddenly flew open. The vampires had finally caught her. “You're a tough bitch to catch,” the largest of the three said. “Led us on quite a chase.” They moved in, spreading out.

Rain backed against the wall. Her heart was racing. Her pulse was thundering in her ears. “I didn't wanna make it easy for you,” she said. She was trying really hard to sound brave. But she could hear the quivering of her own voice. Over the past week, she'd managed to kill eight vampires, including the Master that seemed to be controlling them all. He'd sent vampires after her family and friends. One by one, she’d watched all those she cared for die. Earlier this very night, Rain saw the light leave her mother’s eyes. She’d been forced to run with Sarah in tow. She hadn’t even had time to grieve.

They’d been caught already, just a few hours ago. She'd put up a fight and dusted one of them. But they’d overpowered the pair and dragged them to their sire. He went on and on about his destiny to rule. In the struggle, Rain found a small wooden shard and concealed it.

In a moment of the master's vulnerability, she struck. He fell to the stone in a pile of ashen dust. The vampires in the room were shocked. She took the opportunity and escaped with Sarah once again.

They'd been running ever since. Now, she was apparently done running. She was trapped and had nowhere to go. She felt a cold ball of lead fill the pit of her stomach. “Even if you do kill me, it won't do you any good. You'll still all die,” Rain said. “There's a storm coming to this fucking town.” She sighed and reached back, pulling the machete from her back. “And every storm…” She gripped the blade tightly. “Starts with a little rain.”

“That was good.” A young female voice called from the roof to the structure. “Gonna have to remember that.”

Three figures dropped from the ceiling to land in between Rain and the group of vampires.

The girl breathed a sigh of relief. She recognized all three of the girls that appeared in her midst. Alexia turned and looked at her. “Long time no see.”

“Let's reminisce later,” Kat said stepping forward. She drew her fist back and threw it forward. “ _Incediere!_ ” A white-hot gout of flame shot from her hand, enveloping the closest vampire. He screamed briefly before falling to the ground as nothing more than a burning pile of ash.

Faith pulled her Bowies and went at the second vampire. She was a dervish of glinting steel and a joyous smile. Her knives cut deep furrows in the newly raised vampire's flesh. Bloodshot from every part of him as she worked him over. He tried to defend himself but her brutality, speed, and strength were far beyond what he'd expected. He was nothing but dust a few seconds later.

One vampire remained. Alexia kept her sword where it was. She had other plans for the undead beast. He came at her, snarling. She shot forward and slammed her boot into his leg, causing him to pitch forward. She then landed a hard forearm on his chin, flipping him up and onto his back. She looked at Rain. “Were you gonna fight these bastards?” She asked, curious.

The girl swallowed and nodded. “I um…I killed their master. Now they're all after me.”

“No shit?” Alexia asked. “Fuck yeah.” She offered her fist. “You rock.”

Rain smiled and bumped it. “I got lucky.”

Faith and Kat both walked over. “Hey, I'd rather be lucky than good any day,” Faith said. She crossed her arms as Kat rested her elbow on the slayer's shoulder.

“Hear, hear.” Kat offered. “He's in your town. Why don't you take his ass out?” She pulled her katana and handed it to the girl. “Go for it.”

Rain looked at the blade and reached for it when she was startled by Alexia's sharp voice. “I didn't say you could get up!” The teen snapped as she planted a boot into the man's crotch. She looked to Rain. “Sorry. He was being naughty.”

She closed her hand around the handle of the sword…and immediately felt a warm tingle flow up her arm. “It feels strange. Kind of electric.”

“Wait a minute,” Kat said looking at the girl as she held the sword up in front of her. “You can actually  _feel_  that?”

Rain looked at her and nodded. “Yeah. It's like, I don't know. A really, really subtle electrical charge.”

Alexia and Faith both shrugged. “It's a magic sword, Kat. What's so odd about that?” The younger slayer asked.

“Normal humans can't feel when an item is magic,” Kat offered. She looked at the vampire and stuck her hand out. He lifted from the ground, spread eagle. “Go ahead and take his head. We need to find someplace to talk.”

Rain gripped the blade in both hands and stepped up. She drew back and struck. The enchanted sword cut through the beast's neck with ease. “So…I shouldn't be able to tell that this sword is magical?” She asked, offering it back to Kat.

“Hang onto it.” The witch said, pulling the scabbard from her back. She pulled the machete off Rain and slid it over her shoulder. “And to answer your question, no. You shouldn't.” She turned to Alexia and Faith. “Concentrate. Close your eyes and see if you can feel anything strange.”

The slayers looked at each other and did as Kat asked them. “What are they doing?” Rain asked, curiously.

“Slayers have a preternatural ability to sense vampires. But they can also sense other things, like other slayers. We've been having them experiment with it to find out what its limitations are.” Kat watched the pair intently.

“I don't feel any vamps,” Faith said.

“I feel…” Alexia began. She cocked her head as if to hear something far off. “It's weird. I can actually feel you, Kat but it's faint. There's also…something else.” She looked to Faith. “You feeling that?”

“I  _think_  so. It's wicked subtle, though. Kinda feels like Neo.”

Alexia nodded. “That's what I thought, too.” She looked at Kat. “What are you…?” Her eyes suddenly grew wide. She turned to Rain. “No way.”

The girl was taken aback. “What?” She began looking around.

Kat chuckled and nodded. “I thought as much.” She looked at the girl. “I've got a spell I can do to be sure but if what I think is right…” She grinned. “You, my dear girl are a potential.”

Rain was shocked, to say the least. “A potential slayer?  _Me_?”

Kat nodded. “But let's get indoors. Word on the street has it this isn't a safe place to be after dark.” The girls left the warehouse and moved toward the blue Torino.

“Where's the Beast?” Rain asked.

“It's still in Point Defiance,” Alexia said. “Your call kinda caught us with our pants down. Kat bought this about a week ago. She was driving across country to head home when shit erupted in Sunnydale. We got it handled and were going back north when we got your call.”

“Sorry,” Rain said, sadly.

“Nah, it's all good. You're a fan. We do a lot for our fans,” Faith said. “And you know what? Just to show our appreciation. This won't incur a personal appearance fee.” She added with a smile.

“That was seriously tasteless,” Alexia said. “Even for you.”

Rain chuckled. “I thought it was funny.”

They climbed into the car and followed the directions that Rain had laid out. Kat sat behind the wheel driving along. “You know anyone that drives a '78 Chevy van?” She asked the girl. “Matte black with side pipes and huge ass grill guard on the front?”

Rain swallowed and nodded. “My friend David owned one.” She turned and looked behind them. “Oh, God.”

Kat cast a glance at her. “Let me guess. Got turned?”

“I don't know,” Rain said. “He was dragged off by vampires a few days ago.”

“I think it's a safe bet he isn't David anymore,” Alexia said. “And they're getting closer.”

Kat rolled the window down and listened intently. “Sounds like…”

“LS6 Rebuilt,” Rain said. “He spent almost twelve grand on it. Five hundred and eleven horsepower at the rear wheel.”

Kat listened a moment and nodded. “Yeah, that's about right.” She rolled the window up. “Fuck.”

Alexia and Faith looked at each other in the back seat. “I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that's bad,” Alexia said.

“It means that monster has a lot of giddy in his up,” Faith said. She paused a second. “Jesus, did that sound redneck.”

“More hick then redneck but yeah. That's what that means,” Kat said. “Everybody strap in. It's about the get bumpy.” She pushed the pedal down and began accelerating. The big block of the Ford roared to life. The big black van answered as the driver likewise mashed the gas.

“What's the top speed of something like that?” Alexia asked.

“Buck fifty, buck fifty five,” Faith said. “If he doesn't have spray.”

“He have nitrous in that thing?” Kat asked her.

“No. At least I don't think so,” Rain said. “He's gonna catch us, isn't he?”

Kat shifted gears. “Not if I can help it.” She looked back at him. “Alright, motherfucker. You got balls on the straight. Let's see how you like corners.” She slowed down and threw the wheel sideways, drifting around the left-hander. The tires squealed as she fed more power to the road.

The Van slowed and likewise drifted. It rolled on the suspension but remained upright and handled the turn like a pro.

“He's good,” Alexia said. “I think you just met your match, Kat.” She knew full well her girlfriend wasn't unleashing her full beast. “He's gonna outdrive you.”

Kat glowered and gripped the wheel tighter. “Fuck you,” she said, surging ahead. She looked behind them to see him plow through the burning hulk of car that she'd just whipped around. “He doesn't give a shit if he fucks up his ride. I do,” she said to her girlfriends.

“He's also getting closer,” Faith said. “There's like, ten vampires in that van.”

“That's a light evening for us, isn't it?” Alexia said smiling. She looked to Kat but was suddenly blinded by a pair of bright headlights racing toward them. “What in the hell is that?”

Kat stared a moment. She could see four rectangular headlamps, two to a side. She took a chance and rolled her window down. The huge 454 behind her was roaring it's credentials into the night. But below that, she heard the deep throaty rumble combined the with the high pitched whine that heralded the sound of a massive turbo diesel. In that instant, she knew what was coming. She chuckled and mashed the gas. “Lexi. Call Neo. Put in on speaker.”

The teen did as she was bade. “Hey, Lexi. Move left.” The potential said. Kat immediately pulled to the left as the huge Chevy screamed toward them. “And you might wanna plug your ears.”

A heartbeat later, everyone in the Torino saw why. One of the twins stood in the bed of the truck…with a rocket launcher on her shoulder. The bright crimson burst of flame erupted from the back of the weapon as the missile shot toward the black van.

Rain was temporarily blinded by the conflagration that lit up the night sky as if it were day. The van was reduced to nothing more than flaming debris, raining down about the street.

Kat drove to the side of the road and parked. The big red Chevy came to a stop beside them and the four girls climbed out.

Alexia, Faith, Kat, and Rain followed suit, moving toward the group. “Good to see you,” Alexia said, pulling Neo in for a hug. “Glad you could attend the party.”

“What kind of party would it be without the band?” Neo said. She looked at Rain. “Who's this?”

“Rain?” Alexia said. “Meet Demon Queller. This is Neo. The big one is Quan and these two are Sadiira and Nadiira. No idea which is which. Kat knows but she ain't tellin'.”

“Said you had a vampire problem,” Neo said, offering her hand.

“I think it might get solved very shortly,” Rain said, smiling. Suddenly her face went white with fear. She pointed to the burning van.

The rest of the girls saw what she was looking at…and smiled. Vampires flowed around the flaming wreck, all of them snarling. “Good,” Neo said. “I was hoping for a little exercise.”

“We should run,” Rain said, backing away.

“Why?” Alexia said, pulling her sword. “There's only fifteen of them.”

“Don't worry, sweetie,” Kat said, stepping next to her and crossing her arms. “This is what they do. To them, this isn't even a challenge.” She chuckled. “It's an aphrodisiac.”

The sisters likewise hung back, submachine guns slung across their chests. They were there merely to keep the girls from getting overrun. “Watch and learn,” Sadiira said.

Rain had never gotten to see firsthand how the girls all operated. As she watched the slaughter – for it really couldn't be considered anything but – she could see that  _this_  was where all four of the fighters were the most comfortable. The skirmish in the warehouse was just an appetizer. The first French-fry from the basket.

But what she was witnessing now was far more. Neo, the so-called normal one, was probably the most brutal. She wasn't as strong as the others but that didn't stop her. If anything it made her just that much more violent. She broke arms, dislocated knees and ripped throats out, before throwing monsters to the ground and stomping on their skulls like overripe melons.

Quan was a powerhouse. She threw vampires aside like they weighed nothing. Some she even brought down to snap their spines over her knee, causing them to cry out in excruciating pain. She even managed to tear one's head from his shoulders.

Alexia and Faith both moved like she'd expected them to. They were fast and rather precise. They fought back to back, turning and working in perfect tandem.

A pair of vampires tried to come at the four of them. Kat put her hand up and stopped them in their tracks. She looked to Rain. “You wanna know what it's like to be a slayer?” She asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Stronger, faster, that kind of shit. Won't last but a few minutes but should be enough to handle these two. What do you say?” Kat raised an eyebrow. “Your choice.”

Rain looked at the pair of vampires. They were snarling and wishing nothing but death upon her. “Do it.”

Kat reached over and rested a hand on her shoulder. “ _Da'mae hiim_ ,” she said, letting the power flow freely into Rain.

She suddenly felt a surge that she'd never experienced before. Everything around suddenly seemed to slow to a crawl. It was a very singular sensation. Her body hummed with inner strength. She turned to Kat to see the girl smiling at her. “You ready?” She asked. Her voice seemed halting and slow.

Rain nodded. She returned her attention to the vampires. They were both moving again. She had all the time in the world to react. She'd lost plenty of people to the bastards that threatened her now. All of that anger, all of that rage boiled up, begging for vengeance. And now, she was strong enough to attain it. She raced toward the demons, her sword up and ready. She swung hard as she closed in. The first vampire was reaching for her. She took his arms off, one at the wrist, the other at the elbow. He screamed and staggered back. His companion rushed forward. He tried for her throat. She put a hard boot into his genitals. He screamed and dropped his hands to his crotch. She took his head in a flash. As he faded away, she put her concentration back on the wounded vamp. He was flailing his limbs, terrified. She pushed the sword through his eye socket. “My mom’s dead because of you!” She screamed, tears in her eyes. “You killed all of my fucking friends!” She ripped the sword free and hacked at him, again and again. “I hope you burn in hell!” She didn't want him to die quickly. She wanted him to feel the pain she felt. She wanted him to understand that death was coming but it wouldn't be fast.

He fell to the ground as she kept at him. Gash after bloody gash was ripped into his flesh. He tried futilely to defend himself. After several long, agonizing minutes, she finally drove the sword down into his heart with such force that the magically reinforced blade buried itself halfway into the concrete. She felt the magical strength that Kat had imbued her with leave her body. She was sweating and panting. She sank to her knees, resting her head against the blade handle.

“Holy fuckin' shit,” Neo said, smiling. “Damn girl. I'm impressed.”

Rain looked at her. To see the potential smiling at her made her heart light. She was breathing far too heavily to speak.

“Come on,” Kat said, helping her up. She gripped the handle of the sword and tugged. “Damn,” she said, backing away. “Faith?”

The slayer sighed and moved over. It took her three tries to get the sword free of the stone. “Bloody hell,” she said, sliding it back into the girl's scabbard. “Nice work, kid.”

“I don't know why…” Neo said as she fell in step beside Rain. “But there's something about you that's rubbing me in _all_ the right places.” Rain looked at her with wide eyes. “Gotta clear it with my girlfriend first, though,” Neo said, moving to the big red Chevy. “I'll get back to you.”

The rig pulled away, leaving Rain standing speechless. “Did she…?” She said, finally.

“Yeah. Neo's like that. Her hands are gonna be all over you here pretty soon. And if Talia likes you, well…who knows how much fun you're gonna have.” Faith offered.

Rain wasn't entirely sure how to feel about that.


	16. Chapter 16

She ran for everything she was worth. The girl beside her was breathing heavily and fighting for air. Suddenly, the young blonde stumbled and fell, hitting the concrete hard. Rain stopped and turned back to help the smaller girl to her feet. “Come on, Sarah. We have to keep moving.”

Sarah rose unsteadily to her feet, then cried out in pain and crashed back to the ground, gripping her ankle. “I can't,” she said, terror filling her voice.

Rain knelt and lifted the girl's pant leg. She could immediately tell that the ankle was broken. In just a scant few seconds, it was already beginning to swell and was jutting at an odd angle. She turned to the head of the alley and could see the trio of vampires searching for the pair of them. She frantically looked down at the blonde girl. “It's me they want,” she said, angrily. “I could hide you someplace and lead them away.”

Sarah growled and tried to get up. Again her ankle buckled. Rain took her arm around her shoulder. “Come on. There's a house around the corner. We'll see if they'll let us in.” The pair moved as fast as they could. The three undead beasts had caught their scent and were now in pursuit. Rain dragged Sarah out of the alley and up to the house in question. It was a nice, two-story affair. She helped the girl up to the door and knocked loudly. “Someone help!” She shouted. “We need in. I've got an injured girl here.” There was no answer. “Come on! Open the door, dammit. We need help!”

“Go away!” a sharp female voice shouted.

“Fuck it,” Rain said, drawing back and put her boot into the door, smashing it in. The woman on the other side of it screamed as Rain dragged Sarah into the room. She quickly pushed the door closed behind her.

The home was very well appointed and smelled strongly of privilege. The woman was average looking and middle-aged. She had long dark unkempt hair and was currently wearing a nightgown that clung to her soft form. “Get out of my house!” She shouted, angrily.

Rain looked at her. “Stop yelling,” she said, taking Sarah over to the sofa. “Her ankle is broken. Otherwise, we'd have kept running. But she can't walk, let alone run. She needs help.”

“I don't want those… _things_  following you here,” the woman shouted.

Rain moved over and grabbed the woman's shirt. “They're gonna know we're here if you don't stop your screaming.” She pointed to Sarah. “Just let her stay until dawn, alright. If I can, I'll come back and pick her up. If I'm not here, then call an ambulance and have them come and get her. Either way, just let her stay until then.” She softened her expression. “Please? She's the only friend I've got left. I'll leave and try to draw them away from here.”

The woman bit her lip and looked at Sarah. The girl wasn't more than fourteen years of age and looked to be horribly frightened. “I'll take her to the hospital in the morning,” she said, sadly. “I'm just…those things terrify me.”

“Trust me, they terrify me, too,” Rain said. “Thank you.” She moved over and knelt in front of Sarah. “I've gotta go. I’ll come and find you at the hospital.”

“Why can't you just stay here with me? It's safer,” Sarah said, pleading.

“You know why,” Rain said. “Because they'll find me. After what I've done to them, they'll never stop looking for me.”

Sarah lowered her head and nodded. “Please don't die.” She began crying. “I'm tired of losing friends.”

“So am I,” Rain said, hugging the petite blonde. “But help is on the way. We've just gotta hold out until it gets here.”

“I hope it gets here soon,” Sarah said.

“What do you mean help is on the way?” the woman asked, moving to sit beside Sarah.

“I managed to get a phone call into the S3 dot com emergency line. They're sending Slayer Two, Slayer Three, and Hunting Kat to help. I think she said something about another group but couldn't make any promises.”

The woman shrugged. “I have no idea what you're talking about.” She rose to her feet and moved to her garage. “Give me a moment,” she said, leaving the room. She came back a couple of minutes later with a brush knife in a plastic scabbard. “This might help. It's not much but it's better than trying to survive the night with nothing but your bare hands.”

Rain took it and skinned it. It was glossy and razor sharp. “This will work.” She stopped and moved over to the window, looking outside. She could see the vampires milling about the yard. It was obvious they were looking for her. “They've found our scent,” she said. She turned to the woman. “Rain,” she said, holding out her hand.

“Catherine.” She shook Rain's hand. “I'll keep her safe.”

“They can't get in without an invitation,” Rain said. “I'm gonna go out the back and circle around. Like I said, it's me they want.”

“Why do they want you?” Catherine asked as they moved to the back door.

“Because,” Rain said, as she unlocked the door. She pulled up the hood on her jacket. “I killed their master.” She was off like a shot, running with everything she had through the backyard.

Catherine shut the door and locked it. She then moved to the front room and took a seat on her coffee table, lifting Sarah's leg to settle her ankle on a pillow between her knees. She then began checking everything over. “Your friend seems really brave,” the woman said as she prodded the ankle.

Sarah nodded. “I know,” she said, softly. “That's why I love her.”

Catherine looked at her in surprise. “How old are you?” She asked.

“Seventeen.” Sarah smiled. “I look young for my age, I know. I still get carded at rated R movies.”

“Does she know how you feel?”

Sarah shook her head. “I don't think so. I've never said anything. I'm too scared.”

“Let's hope that you can get a chance to speak your heart at some point,” Catherine offered. “Yeah, it's broken. Looks like a joint fracture.” She then looked at Sarah. “I'm a nurse.”

“Seems we lucked into the right house,” Sarah said. “Sorry, we had to just barge in.”

“No, it's alright. I should have let you in.” She shook her head. “I'm sorry.” Sarah smiled at her and fought to keep her eyes open. “Go ahead and get some sleep.” She rose to her feet and helped the girl get settled on the sofa. She spread a blanket over her. Sarah was out in seconds. Catherine sighed heavily and settled into the large easy chair. She flipped the feet out and leaned back. She was too wired to sleep anyway.

 

Rain ran out into the alley and turned, heading toward the end of the block. She came back into the street and slid to a stop as the vampires slowly crept up to the door. “Hey!” She shouted. “Looking for me?”

They turned as one and growled, racing toward her. She spun and ran for everything she was worth. She knew she couldn't outrun them. The only saving grace she had was both she and Sarah were free runners. They could go pretty much anywhere. The vampires weren't expecting that. She was the faster of the two, to be honest. Sarah was no slouch but she was new to Parkour and didn't have Rain's moves.

But without the blonde girl to slow her down, she could fun full tilt. Which she was more than willing to do. She could feel the fatigue of the hours' long flight across the small town of Victorville, California.

She ran along with the three demons close behind. She veered off into an old construction site. She could occupy them for hours with the obstacles within. She quickly scaled the wall of a corrugated steel building and raced along the roof. She made it a half dozen steps when the roof caved in. She pulled her arms and legs in to keep herself from getting slashed open on the jagged edges of the metal.

She hit the concrete floor within and rolled with the impact, coming to her feet. The room was completely empty, save for a few pallets and a few odd construction materials. “Dammit,” she said, suddenly panicking.

The metal door suddenly flew open. The vampires had finally caught her. “You're a tough bitch to catch,” the largest of the three said. “Led us on quite a chase.” They moved in, spreading out.

Rain backed against the wall. Her heart was racing. Her pulse was thundering in her ears. “I didn't wanna make it easy for you,” she said. She was trying really hard to sound brave. But she could hear the quivering of her own voice. Over the past week, she'd managed to kill eight vampires, including the Master that seemed to be controlling them all. He'd sent vampires after her family and friends. One by one, she’d watched all those she cared for die. Earlier this very night, Rain saw the light leave her mother’s eyes. She’d been forced to run with Sarah in tow. She hadn’t even had time to grieve.

They’d been caught already, just a few hours ago. She'd put up a fight and dusted one of them. But they’d overpowered the pair and dragged them to their sire. He went on and on about his destiny to rule. In the struggle, Rain found a small wooden shard and concealed it.

In a moment of the master's vulnerability, she struck. He fell to the stone in a pile of ashen dust. The vampires in the room were shocked. She took the opportunity and escaped with Sarah once again.

They'd been running ever since. Now, she was apparently done running. She was trapped and had nowhere to go. She felt a cold ball of lead fill the pit of her stomach. “Even if you do kill me, it won't do you any good. You'll still all die,” Rain said. “There's a storm coming to this fucking town.” She sighed and reached back, pulling the machete from her back. “And every storm…” She gripped the blade tightly. “Starts with a little rain.”

“That was good,” a young female voice called from the roof to the structure. “Gonna have to remember that.”

Three figures dropped from the ceiling to land in between Rain and the group of vampires.

The girl breathed a sigh of relief. She recognized all three of the girls that appeared in her midst. Alexia turned and looked at her. “Long time no see.”

“Let's reminisce later,” Kat said stepping forward. She drew her fist back and threw it forward. “ _Incediere!_ ” A white-hot gout of flame shot from her hand, enveloping the closest vampire. He screamed briefly before falling to the ground as nothing more than a burning pile of ash.

Faith pulled her Bowies and went at the second vampire. She was a dervish of glinting steel and a joyous smile. Her knives cut deep furrows in the newly raised vampire's flesh. Bloodshot from every part of him as she worked him over. He tried to defend himself but her brutality, speed, and strength were far beyond what he'd expected. He was nothing but dust a few seconds later.

One vampire remained. Alexia kept her sword where it was. She had other plans for the undead beast. He came at her, snarling. She shot forward and slammed her boot into his leg, causing him to pitch forward. She then landed a hard forearm on his chin, flipping him up and onto his back. She looked at Rain. “Were you gonna fight these bastards?” She asked, curious.

The girl swallowed and nodded. “I um…I killed their master. Now they're all after me.”

“No shit?” Alexia asked. “Fuck yeah.” She offered her fist. “You rock.”

Rain smiled and bumped it. “I got lucky.”

Faith and Kat both walked over. “Hey, I'd rather be lucky than good any day,” Faith said. She crossed her arms as Kat rested her elbow on the slayer's shoulder.

“Hear, hear,” Kat offered. “He's in your town. Why don't you take his ass out?” She pulled her katana and handed it to the girl. “Go for it.”

Rain looked at the blade and reached for it when she was startled by Alexia's sharp voice. “I didn't say you could get up!” The teen snapped as she planted a boot into the man's crotch. She looked to Rain. “Sorry. He was being naughty.”

She closed her hand around the handle of the sword…and immediately felt a warm tingle flow up her arm. “It feels strange. Kind of electric.”

“Wait a minute,” Kat said looking at the girl as she held the sword up in front of her. “You can actually  _feel_  that?”

Rain looked at her and nodded. “Yeah. It's like, I don't know. A really, really subtle electrical charge.”

Alexia and Faith both shrugged. “It's a magic sword, Kat. What's so odd about that?” the younger slayer asked.

“Normal humans can't feel when an item is magic,” Kat offered. She looked at the vampire and stuck her hand out. He lifted from the ground, spread eagle. “Go ahead and take his head. We need to find someplace to talk.”

Rain gripped the blade in both hands and stepped up. She drew back and struck. The enchanted sword cut through the beast's neck with ease. “So…I shouldn't be able to tell that this sword is magical?” She asked, offering it back to Kat.

“Hang onto it,” the witch said, pulling the scabbard from her back. She pulled the machete off Rain and slid it over her shoulder. “And to answer your question, no. You shouldn't.” She turned to Alexia and Faith. “Concentrate. Close your eyes and see if you can feel anything strange.”

The slayers looked at each other and did as Kat asked them. “What are they doing?” Rain asked, curiously.

“Slayers have a preternatural ability to sense vampires. But they can also sense other things, like other slayers. We've been having them experiment with it to find out what its limitations are.” Kat watched the pair intently.

“I don't feel any vamps,” Faith said.

“I feel…” Alexia began. She cocked her head as if to hear something far off. “It's weird. I can actually feel you, Kat but it's faint. There's also…something else.” She looked to Faith. “You feeling that?”

“I  _think_  so. It's wicked subtle, though. Kinda feels like Neo.”

Alexia nodded. “That's what I thought, too.” She looked at Kat. “What are you…?” Her eyes suddenly grew wide. She turned to Rain. “No way.”

The girl was taken aback. “What?” She began looking around.

Kat chuckled and nodded. “I thought as much.” She looked at the girl. “I've got a spell I can do to be sure but if what I think is right…” She grinned. “You, my dear girl are a potential.”

Rain was shocked, to say the least. “A potential slayer?  _Me_?”

Kat nodded. “But let's get indoors. Word on the street has it this isn't a safe place to be after dark.” The girls left the warehouse and moved toward the blue Torino.

“Where's the Beast?” Rain asked.

“It's still in Point Defiance,” Alexia said. “Your call kinda caught us with our pants down. Kat bought this about a week ago. She was driving across country to head home when shit erupted in Sunnydale. We got it handled and were going back north when we got your call.”

“Sorry,” Rain said, sadly.

“Nah, it's all good. You're a fan. We do a lot for our fans,” Faith said. “And you know what? Just to show our appreciation. This won't incur a personal appearance fee.” She added with a smile.

“That was seriously tasteless,” Alexia said. “Even for you.”

Rain chuckled. “I thought it was funny.”

They climbed into the car and followed the directions that Rain had laid out. Kat sat behind the wheel driving along. “You know anyone that drives a '78 Chevy van?” She asked the girl. “Matte black with side pipes and huge ass grill guard on the front?”

Rain swallowed and nodded. “My friend David owned one.” She turned and looked behind them. “Oh, God.”

Kat cast a glance at her. “Let me guess. Got turned?”

“I don't know,” Rain said. “He was dragged off by vampires a few days ago.”

“I think it's a safe bet he isn't David anymore,” Alexia said. “And they're getting closer.”

Kat rolled the window down and listened intently. “Sounds like…”

“LS6 Rebuilt,” Rain said. “He spent almost twelve grand on it. Five hundred and eleven horsepower at the rear wheel.”

Kat listened a moment and nodded. “Yeah, that's about right.” She rolled the window up. “Fuck.”

Alexia and Faith looked at each other in the back seat. “I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that's bad,” Alexia said.

“It means that monster has a lot of giddy in his up,” Faith said. She paused a second. “Jesus, did that sound redneck.”

“More hick then redneck but yeah. That's what that means,” Kat said. “Everybody strap in. It's about the get bumpy.” She pushed the pedal down and began accelerating. The big block of the Ford roared to life. The big black van answered as the driver likewise mashed the gas.

“What's the top speed of something like that?” Alexia asked.

“Buck fifty, buck fifty-five,” Faith said. “If he doesn't have spray.”

“He have nitrous in that thing?” Kat asked her.

“No. At least I don't think so,” Rain said. “He's gonna catch us, isn't he?”

Kat shifted gears. “Not if I can help it.” She looked back at him. “Alright, motherfucker. You got balls on the straight. Let's see how you like corners.” She slowed down and threw the wheel sideways, drifting around the left-hander. The tires squealed as she fed more power to the road.

The Van slowed and likewise drifted. It rolled on the suspension but remained upright and handled the turn like a pro.

“He's good,” Alexia said. “I think you just met your match, Kat.” She knew full well her girlfriend wasn't unleashing her full beast. “He's gonna outdrive you.”

Kat glowered and gripped the wheel tighter. “Fuck you,” she said, surging ahead. She looked behind them to see him plow through the burning hulk of a car that she'd just whipped around. “He doesn't give a shit if he fucks up his ride. I do,” she said to her girlfriends.

“He's also getting closer,” Faith said. “There's like, ten vampires in that van.”

“That's a light evening for us, isn't it?” Alexia said smiling. She looked to Kat but was suddenly blinded by a pair of bright headlights racing toward them. “What in the hell is that?”

Kat stared a moment. She could see four rectangular headlamps, two to a side. She took a chance and rolled her window down. The huge 454 behind her was roaring its credentials into the night. But below that, she heard the deep throaty rumble combined the with the high pitched whine that heralded the sound of a massive turbo diesel. In that instant, she knew what was coming. She chuckled and mashed the gas. “Lexi. Call Neo. Put in on speaker.”

The teen did as she was bid. “Hey, Lexi. Move left,” the potential said. Kat immediately pulled to the left as the huge Chevy screamed toward them. “And you might wanna plug your ears.”

A heartbeat later, everyone in the Torino saw why. One of the twins stood in the bed of the truck…with a rocket launcher on her shoulder. The bright crimson burst of flame erupted from the back of the weapon as the missile shot toward the black van.

Rain was temporarily blinded by the conflagration that lit up the night sky as if it were day. The van was reduced to nothing more than flaming debris, raining down about the street.

Kat drove to the side of the road and parked. The big red Chevy came to a stop beside them and the four girls climbed out.

Alexia, Faith, Kat, and Rain followed suit, moving toward the group. “Good to see you,” Alexia said, pulling Neo in for a hug. “Glad you could attend the party.”

“What kind of party would it be without the band?” Neo said. She looked at Rain. “Who's this?”

“Rain?” Alexia said. “Meet Demon Queller. This is Neo. The big one is Quan and these two are Sadiira and Nadiira. No idea which is which. Kat knows but she ain't tellin'.”

“Said you had a vampire problem,” Neo said, offering her hand.

“I think it might get solved very shortly,” Rain said, smiling. Suddenly her face went white with fear. She pointed to the burning van.

The rest of the girls saw what she was looking at…and smiled. Vampires flowed around the flaming wreck, all of them snarling. “Good,” Neo said. “I was hoping for a little exercise.”

“We should run,” Rain said, backing away.

“Why?” Alexia said, pulling her sword. “There's only fifteen of them.”

“Don't worry, sweetie,” Kat said, stepping next to her and crossing her arms. “This is what they do. To them, this isn't even a challenge.” She chuckled. “It's an aphrodisiac.”

The sisters likewise hung back, submachine guns slung across their chests. They were there merely to keep the girls from getting overrun. “Watch and learn,” Sadiira said.

Rain had never gotten to see firsthand how the girls all operated. As she watched the slaughter – for it really couldn't be considered anything but – she could see that  _this_  was where all four of the fighters were the most comfortable. The skirmish in the warehouse was just an appetizer. The first French-fry from the basket.

But what she was witnessing now was far more. Neo, the so-called normal one, was probably the most brutal. She wasn't as strong as the others but that didn't stop her. If anything it made her just that much more violent. She broke arms, dislocated knees and ripped throats out, before throwing monsters to the ground and stomping on their skulls like overripe melons.

Quan was a powerhouse. She threw vampires aside like they weighed nothing. Some she even brought down to snap their spines over her knee, causing them to cry out in excruciating pain. She even managed to tear one's head from his shoulders.

Alexia and Faith both moved like she'd expected them to. They were fast and rather precise. They fought back to back, turning and working in perfect tandem.

A pair of vampires tried to come at the four of them. Kat put her hand up and stopped them in their tracks. She looked to Rain. “You wanna know what it's like to be a slayer?” she asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Stronger, faster, that kind of shit. Won't last but a few minutes but should be enough to handle these two. What do you say?” Kat raised an eyebrow. “Your choice.”

Rain looked at the pair of vampires. They were snarling and wishing nothing but death upon her. “Do it.”

Kat reached over and rested a hand on her shoulder. “ _Da'mae hiim_ ,” she said, letting the power flow freely into Rain.

She suddenly felt a surge that she'd never experienced before. Everything around suddenly seemed to slow to a crawl. It was a very singular sensation. Her body hummed with inner strength. She turned to Kat to see the girl smiling at her. “You ready?” She asked. Her voice seemed halting and slow.

Rain nodded. She returned her attention to the vampires. They were both moving again. She had all the time in the world to react. She'd lost plenty of people to the bastards that threatened her now. All of that anger, all of that rage boiled up, begging for vengeance. And now, she was strong enough to attain it. She raced toward the demons, her sword up and ready. She swung hard as she closed in. The first vampire was reaching for her. She took his arms off, one at the wrist, the other at the elbow. He screamed and staggered back. His companion rushed forward. He tried for her throat. She put a hard boot into his genitals. He screamed and dropped his hands to his crotch. She took his head in a flash. As he faded away, she put her concentration back on the wounded vamp. He was flailing his limbs, terrified. She pushed the sword through his eye socket. “My mom’s dead because of you!” She screamed, tears in her eyes. “You killed all of my fucking friends!” She ripped the sword free and hacked at him, again and again. “I hope you burn in hell!” She didn't want him to die quickly. She wanted him to feel the pain she felt. She wanted him to understand that death was coming but it wouldn't be fast.

He fell to the ground as she kept at him. Gash after bloody gash was ripped into his flesh. He tried futilely to defend himself. After several long, agonizing minutes, she finally drove the sword down into his heart with such force that the magically reinforced blade buried itself halfway into the concrete. She felt the magical strength that Kat had imbued her with leaving her body. She was sweating and panting. She sank to her knees, resting her head against the blade handle.

“Holy fuckin' shit,” Neo said, smiling. “Damn girl. I'm impressed.”

Rain looked at her. To see the potential smiling at her made her heart light. She was breathing far too heavily to speak.

“Come on,” Kat said, helping her up. She gripped the handle of the sword and tugged. “Damn,” she said, backing away. “Faith?”

The slayer sighed and moved over. It took her three tries to get the sword free of the stone. “Bloody hell,” she said, sliding it back into the girl's scabbard. “Nice work, kid.”

“I don't know why…” Neo said as she fell in step beside Rain. “But there's something about you that's rubbing me in _all_ the right places.” Rain looked at her with wide eyes. “Gotta clear it with my girlfriend first, though,” Neo said, moving to the big red Chevy. “I'll get back to you.”

The rig pulled away, leaving Rain standing speechless. “Did she…?” She said, finally.

“Yeah. Neo's like that. Her hands are gonna be all over you here pretty soon. And if Talia likes you, well…who knows how much fun you're gonna have.” Faith offered.

Rain wasn't entirely sure how to feel about that.


	17. Chapter 17

Kat sat behind the wheel of the Torino and drove slowly through town. Rain was in the passenger seat. Alexia and Neo sat together in the back. “You know…” Kat said as they drove along. “This town really doesn't seem so bad during the day.”

Rain looked at her and back to the scenery. “Because during the day, they can forget what comes out at night. They can just pretend it doesn't matter, that it doesn't exist.”

“I'm just pissed that you can't get a decent fuckin' pizza after dark,” Neo said. “That's enough to make me wanna clear the problem out.”

“Do you know where they're holed up during the day?” Alexia asked.

Rain shook her head. “No one really knows. No one wants to know.” She turned to the younger slayer. “I personally think it's the old unused air force base.”

“Where's it at?” Kat asked.

“North side of town.” Rain offered. “They only use one small part of it. The rest of it has a strange, ghost town feel. Every now and then there's trucks moving around but that's it. The rest of it's abandoned.”

“Let's go check it out,” Neo said, leaning forward. “Maybe thin the numbers in the daylight.”

Kat nodded and headed north along highway 395. “Take this about another mile and get off on Adelanto Road. That'll take you right past the base.” Rain instructed. She felt her stomach fill with butterflies.

“So how long you been free running?” Alexia asked the girl to keep her mind off of the prospect of fighting vampires.

Rain grinned and looked at her. “About ten years. Got really into it when I was seven.”

“Is it your love of free running that makes you wanna see me do Ninja Warrior?” Alexia asked.

“Kinda, yeah,” Rain said, turning back around. “Knowing what I know now, it's probably gonna be easy as hell for you.”

“I don't know,” Alexia said. “That course is pretty damn intimidating. Even to me.”

“Can't deny you're gonna enjoy the hell out of it, though,” Neo said. “I'm almost tempted to do it.”

“You'd kill yourself,” Alexia said to her.

“Yeah, you're probably right. That and I'd probably get too pissed off and start knockin' motherfuckers out if I ended up blowing it.”

“You mean to say you have rage issues?” Kat asked looking at her. “Nah, not  _you_.”

“Shut up and drive,” Neo said amid snickers and jeers.

They kept on the highway and took the Adelanto Road offramp. Kat kept to the speed limit. She sighed as she looked at her gauges. “Damn.”

“What's the matter?” Alexia asked.

“I've been pounding the hell out of this thing. I'm gonna need to give it a tune-up. It's starting to make noise,” Kat said, shaking her head. “Oil change, new plugs and probably a coolant flush.”

Rain looked at her. “You're a serious car nerd, aren't you?”

“Working on cars is my therapy,” Kat said to her. “I love cars.”

“I don't even own a car,” Rain offered.

“How did you get up to Ocean Shores?” Alexia asked her.

“Rode with some friends from Los Angeles. One of the guys Sarah knows owns an RV but he doesn't have a job. There was like, eight of us. We all pooled our money and made the trip there and back. It was actually pretty fun. I had to dip into my trust fund but it was worth it.”

“That actually sounds like it'd be pretty fun,” Neo said. “I love road trips.”

“Same here,” Alexia said.

“I just love to drive,” Kat said. “Jesus Christ. Looks like the kind of place they'd use to film  _The Stand_.” She pointed to the old base.

“Oh, man. This place has vamps,” Neo said. “I can tell just by lookin' at it.”

“There are a lot of planes here,” Kat said, furrowing her brow. “I thought it wasn't being used.” She turned to look at the girl.

“The military and a bunch of aviation companies store planes here,” Rain said. “But there aren't a lot of people. A bunch of the buildings on the Phantom Way aren't being used. Not really sure why.”

“So what are we gonna do?” Neo asked. “Should we just start searching them one by one? Take out anything we find?”

Alexia shook her head. “No need.” She leaned forward. “Kat? See if you can get in and cruise real close. I'll try and see if I can feel anything.”

“Gotcha,” she said, driving around, looking for a way onto the actual base itself. “Gotta find a way in.”

“There's an access road around on the north side. There's a huge hole in the fence that they haven't fixed. A lot of the street racers use to use the runways at night. Cops don't seem to care.”

Kat nodded. “Keeps kids off the roads.” She sped out to the far side of the base and, as Rain had said, there was a huge missing piece of the fence where someone had obviously driven over it. “Sorry baby,” she said, bouncing over the metal. She fed more power on and raced across the tarmac to the buildings in question. “It is seriously quiet out here.” She looked at her watch. “And it's ten in the morning. You figure this place would be crawling with people.”

“It's a parking lot for planes,” Rain said. “I come here to free run with Sarah a lot. This is where I trained her up.”

“How long she been doin' it?” Alexia asked her.

“Three years now,” Rain said. “I got her into it.”

“You two are close, aren't you?” Neo asked.

“Pretty,” Rain admitted. She turned and gave Neo a smile. “But she's given me permission to stray a little bit.”

“Funny. So did Talia,” Neo returned.

“Not in the car ladies,” Kat said as she drove. “Alright, Lexi. Do your thing.” She moved at a very slow crawl.

The slayer closed her eyes and concentrated. She reached out and did everything she could to sense the presence of the undead. Kat rolled slowly, watching the front of the buildings for any sign of movement.

Rain turned to look at Neo. “Slayers can sense vampires at short distances,” she said, answering the girl's unasked question.

For several minutes, they idled along. Kat came to the end of the row of buildings and looped around onto Readiness Street. She then kept her speed slow as Alexia continued to concentrate. They'd barely reached a block down. “Whoa!” Alexia said, pointing to the building. Kat stopped. “Bingo!”

“What kind of numbers are we talking?” Neo asked her, excitedly.

For several seconds Alexia didn't say anything. “Thirty. Maybe more.”

“Yes!” Neo said.

Kat turned and looked at her. “Are you fucking kidding me? There is no way in  _hell_  we are taking on a thirty large nest with just the four of us.”

“Why not?” Neo asked. “It's only thirty. You guys have taken on thirty with just four people.”

“Huge difference. We had three slayers and me,” Kat said, shaking her head. “Now, it's one slayer, two potentials – one of which is untrained – and me. I don't have that kind of firepower.”

Alexia pulled her phone out. “Besides we don't know the layout of the building, we don't know exactly how many there are and we don't know if it's just vampires or if they have some kind of backup.”

“Who are you calling?” Neo asked.

“The rest of the girls,” Alexia said, smiling. “You didn't think I was just gonna walk away from a nest, did you?”

“That's what I'm talking about.”

“Go ahead, Lexi,” Cerri said as she sat at her laptop.

“We got a ball game. Thirty strong at one of the buildings at the airport to the north.”

“Gotcha. I'll get everyone mobilized,” the girl said, ending the call.

“Now we just sit and wait,” Alexia said, leaning back.

Kat turned the car off and relaxed. “So…anyone know any good jokes?”

 

Cerri turned to Faith. “They're at the old Air Force base up north.” She scratched the address down. “Nest about thirty strong.”

Faith took the slip. “Alright. Finally some action.”

Sadiira regarded Cerri. “What kind of fortification?”

Cerri turned to the laptop and brought up the satellite imaging software. “From the looks of it…” She pointed. “The Torino is sitting right there.”

“Then that would be where the vampires are holed up, yes?” the twin asked, indicating the building. “Looks like an office structure.”

Cerri typed in and brought up the blueprints of the base and the building in question. “There's your plans.”

Sadiira slid a chair over beside the girl. “Nadi, come here.” Her sister moved over beside her. “What do you think?”

The quiet girl stared at the screen for a moment. “Shouldn't be that difficult to bring down. Why fight when we can just let the sun do it for us?”

Faith sighed as she looked at the girls. “You know…having you two around is really gonna take the fun out of just about everything, you know that?”

The pair turned to look at her. “This isn't a vacation, Faith,” Sadiira said. “It's about loss prevention.”

“Do you take risks with Kat and Alexia's lives?” Nadiira asked.

“Not if I can help it,” Faith offered.

“Neither do we.”

The four girls geared up. Catherine watched the kind of firepower the girls had at their disposal and was plain out and out shocked. “Where did you girls get this kind of hardware?” she asked, watching them load grenades, plastic explosives, and a wide array of guns and ammunition into a pair of large duffel bags.

“Here and there,” Sadiira said, simply.

Quan came in, dressed in her bike shorts, and a tank top. She had on the reinforced martial arts gloves and the shin and foot guards. “Truck's loaded with y'all's body armor and weapons.” Faith nodded beside her.

Catherine finally got a look at Quan without baggy cargo pants and a t-shirt. “My God, you're huge.”

“I know, isn't she?” Cerri said, happily.

“How tall are you?” the Nurse asked her.

“Between six-five and six-six. Between two-twenty and two-thirty, depending on what I eat that day.”

Catherine moved over and poked her arm. “Good God. You're solid as hell.” She looked up at the girl. “What's your average blood pressure and heart rate?”

“Between one-oh-five and one twenty over seventy to seventy-five. Heart rate is usually sixty and seventy beats per minute. Even when I'm fighting it doesn't really get any higher than that.”

“How do you maintain all of this?”

“I fight demons and work out pretty much nonstop. I hate being idle.” Quan offered to her.

“We're ready,” Sadiira said, hefting her bag. Her sister followed suit.

Cerri moved over and gave Quan a hug and a kiss. “Be careful. I'll monitor you guys from here. Keep your cams on.”

“I will. See you when we get back.” The big woman offered.

The four of them headed out and climbed into the Ford. Catherine watched the exchange between Cerri and Quan. “Are you and her…?”

“Lovers?” Cerri asked the woman gave a slight nod. “Yep. I love her to death. Let me guess because of how young I am, you think it's wrong?”

“It isn't just me, Cerridwen. It's the law. You're thirteen. She's what? Seventeen, eighteen?”

“Eighteen,” Cerri said. “And I know what the law thinks. And neither of us gives a shit. I know what you're thinking, I really do. That I'm too young to know what love is, blah, blah, blah. Well, let me share something with you.” She motioned the woman over. She tapped away and brought up the NYSE and showed it to her. “This is my stock portfolio.”

“This is impressive.”

“I handle it myself. And I set all of this up when I was seven. I've been playing the market since then. I saved my allowance up for a year and invested it. Now, I'm a millionaire. I've got seventeen million in the market and if things are trending the way I expect, come the end of the month, I'll add fifty percent to that.” Cerri looked at her. “I'm also the hub for this entire operation. Rite said that I'm the one person in the world she trusts with her hardware. Trust me, once you hear that, you've heard everything that matters. Am I immature? Yes. Am I young? Yes. But let me ask you this.” She lifted her sleeve and showed the woman her scarred right arm. “How many people do you know had a centuries-old vampire dominate their mind, paralyze them and then make them watch while he slowly broke their arm in three places, laughing as they screamed their heads off and puked all over themselves because of the pain?” She saw the horror in Catherine's eyes. “None would be my guess.” She shook her head. “Trust me, when that happens to you? You stop being a little girl and grow up real fucking fast.”

“That…that actually happened?” she asked, looking Cerri's arm over. She could see that the scars were still incredibly vivid. “I can't imagine how bad that hurts.”

“And trust me, lady, you don't ever wanna know.” Cerri pulled her arm away and tugged her sleeve down. “I still see it sometimes in my sleep. I'll wake up screaming. But you know what? Sleeping next to that giant woman makes me feel safe. She makes me feel secure. She holds me when I'm bawling my eyes out and tells me everything's going to be all right. And when I feel those huge ass arms around me, I believe it. And that, to me is everything. If the law doesn't like it, they don't have to. But we love each other. Yeah, it's fucked up and wrong but try telling that to  _this_ ,” she said, tapping her chest.

Catherine looked at the girl and had to admit, she had a point. She could see that Cerri wasn't an ordinary thirteen-year-old girl. Everything she'd been through, everything she'd done had forced her to grow up a lot faster than she should have. “I may not like it but I can see it isn't something that can be argued, either.”

“If it makes you uncomfortable, we can curb the PDA while we're in the house.” Cerri offered as she sat back down in front of her laptop.

“It would make me feel a little better,” Catherine said. “I understand you all live in a world that doesn't – and probably can't – follow the same rules as the rest of us but…”

“It's cool. Not for everyone,” Cerri said. “Hopefully, in a few days, we can make it so you can go back to your little world and forget we exist.” She shook her head. “Ignorance is bliss to some people.”

“That sounded incredibly condescending,” Catherine said, somewhat annoyed by the statement.

“And I suddenly have a renewed respect for America's medical complex.” She looked at Catherine. “Thank you.”

“What does that mean?” the woman asked.

“It means I'm glad you were able to notice the obvious. That not all medical professionals are incompetent.” She smiled. “It's nice to know.”

“You don't have a lot of friends, do you?”

“I have tons of friends.” She grinned. “They just all think like me.”

“Imagine my surprise,” Catherine said, moving into the kitchen to get a cup of coffee.

 

Kat lay back with her arms crossed and her eyes closed. Alexia, Neo, and Rain were chatting about free running and music. She opened her eyes and peered down the road. She smiled as she saw the big blue Ford thundering toward them. “And I beheld a blue Raptor and the woman that drove her was Quan…”

“And hell followed with her,” Neo said, grinning.

The truck pulled to a stop and the four girls climbed out. Faith ran over and threw her arms around Kat and Alexia, plundering their mouths fiercely.

“Where's Talia?” Neo asked.

“She's grocery shopping in the Chevy with Sarah,” Quan said, moving around to the back of the truck.

Sadiira and Nadiira moved toward the building, their bags in their hands. “What are they doing?” Rain asked.

“They plan on blowing up the building. We're pitching clean up,” Faith said as she began pulling her body armor on.

“You're joking, right?” Rain asked, watching the pair.

“Nope,” Neo said. “This is what they do. They love this shit.”

“But…won't that garner attention?” Rain asked. “This  _is_  a government installation. We can't just blow shit up.”

“Says who?” Neo asked.

“Um…the  _government_ ,” Rain said, incredulously.

“Oh. Well, fuck them,” Neo said. “They don't listen to us, why should we listen to them?”

Kat moved over and began strapping body armor on Rain. “This is yours to keep. We've also got a harness set up for you.”

“What do you mean a harness?” Rain asked as the girl suited her up. Kat didn't answer, just finished buckling her gear on. Alexia, Faith, and Neo all got themselves outfitted and ready for war. Kat then pulled an assault vest out and secured it to Rain. It was loaded with stakes, holy water and a few other bits and bobs. Kat took the katana and slid it down the back in the holster that was attached. “Oh,” Rain said, smiling. “I feel kinda like a badass in this.”

“Well, you look the part,” Alexia said. “The right training and you'll be smokin' fools.”

They all stood and watched patiently as the twins worked their magic. After about a half hour of placing explosives, they came back over. “We're gonna want some distance.”

“Don't worry about it,” Kat said, cracking her knuckles. “Just blow it. We ain't got all day.”

“What are you gonna do?” Alexia asked her.

“Shielding spell. It'll do the job, I'm sure. I've been working on it.” Kat returned. “Let's do this.”

“You wanna blow it?” Sadiira asked Rain, offering her the remote detonator.

The girl stared at her for a moment before taking the small silver remote in her trembling hand. “Fire in the hole?” She said, unsure. The girls all nodded. Kat brought her spell to mind.

Rain depressed the button. The plastic explosives along the outside of the building detonated all at once. Debris, dust, and a tremendous shockwave rushed toward the girls. Kat threw her hands forward. The cloud slammed into the magic barrier and swept around them. The witch kept her hands up, growling against the strain. After several seconds, the conflagration died down. Kat moved her hands in a fast gesture and parted them as if she was commanding the air itself. The dust cloud split and revealed the mountain of rubble that was once a building.

“Time to go to work, ladies,” Alexia said, stalking toward the building. The rest of the crowd likewise followed.

“Stay close to me,” Kat said to Rain.

Alexia and Faith had their senses stretched wire tight. They could feel the vampires buried in the rubble. They both grinned as they heard the screaming and smelled the stench of burning undead in the air. Slowly the numbers were dwindling.

Kat was a little lightheaded from the shield she had to bring up. She wasn't necessarily worried about getting into a pitched battle.

Vampires ran from the collapsed structure and made it only a few feet before they were incinerated. Rain watched them and was both elated and horrified. It was, from the sounds the vampires were making, a terrible and painful way to die.

Alexia, Faith, Quan, and Neo all began sifting through the flotsam, grabbing vampires they found buried and chucking them into the daylight to burst into flames. “This should be a bonus round for the 'Vampire Huckin' minigame on the website,” Alexia said as the grasped a vamp's hair and turned, hurling him into the light. He was a flaming ruin before he hit the ground.

“Good idea.” Faith added, likewise pitching a vampire aside to his screaming death.

“You two are morbid,” Neo said. “Explains why I like…get the fuck off me!” She took hold of the vampire's jaw and smashed his face on a piece of stone before throwing him away from her. “Explains why I like you guys.”

In less than two hours, they had cleared the entire building. They counted nearly forty vampires dead.

“Not bad for a day's work,” Neo said. “Can't wait until nightfall.” She looked at the rest of the girls. “I'm hungry.”

“Talia should be back with the groceries,” Kat said. “I'll make us some breakfast.”

Neo walked over and grabbed Rain's assault vest and pulled her in, kissing her with a lust and fire that only the ballsy potential was capable of. “You can take your time. I got girls to do.”

“Girls?” Rain asked, curiously.

“Yeah. I'm fuckin' your girlfriend, too,” Neo said. “Trust me, kiddo. You  _ain't_  gonna be enough alone.”

Rain wasn't sure if she was disturbed by what Neo had just said…or if she was incredibly turned on.

An hour later, both Rain and Sarah lay on the bed in the back of the trailer, sweating as Neo did one of the three things she did best. In that moment, staring at Sarah's deep blue eyes, seeing the mix of fear and lust in them, she had her answer.

“Not sure if I'm happy for those girls or sorry for them,” Talia said as she helped Kat and the twins in the kitchen.

“You get a piece of that every night,” Faith said.

“I know. Hence my conundrum,” Talia offered with a grin.

“I know I was sore as hell,” Kat said. Alexia nodded her agreement.

“What, do you girls climb all over each other like a pack of wolves or something?” Catherine asked.

Everyone just grinned but said nothing.

And Catherine wasn't quite sure how to take that.


	18. Chapter 18

The sun was just beginning to set when Neo, Rain, and Sarah came back into the house. Quan chuckled as she saw the girls Neo had spent the afternoon with. “Jesus Christ,” she said, noticing the rather rough and sweaty state the girls were in. “You two look like you been rode hard and put up wet.”

Both girls blushed and looked at each. “Another pair of satisfied customers,” Neo said. “You wouldn't believe the mouth on little miss sunshine there when she gets going.” She offered, indicating Sarah. “And big dog here moans like crazy.”

“Dammit.” Faith and Kat said in unison. They each pulled a twenty out of their pockets and handed them to Alexia.

Catherine looked at them. “What was that?”

Alexia took their money, grinning. “They each bet me twenty bucks that Rain was a screamer. Especially with Neo going to town on her.”

Rain was doubly embarrassed. “You bet money on  _that_?” She wasn't sure quite how to feel about it.

“Oh, we bet on shit like that all the time,” Faith said. “It's a standing bet if our friend Max is involved. She's a vampire but she's a good one. She has a soul. She's a sixteen-year-old rock and roll gear head just…dead.”

“Fuck me. That's a piece of top-shelf pussy, right there,” Neo said, moaning at the thought of her. “A lot to be said for a lover that doesn't need to breathe.”

“She says that a lot,” Alexia said.

Catherine was beside herself with how just plain out and out  _nasty_  these girls could be. She couldn't deny that they were good at what they did. Since arriving they’d taken out over fifty vampires. They were professionals in every sense of the word…when they were out fighting vampires and monsters. In their downtime, it was like being surrounded by a bunch of horny teenage boys. “You are all just about the most vulgar people I've ever met.”

Neo walked over to her. “You ever been fucked so hard that your eyes roll up into the back of your head? The kind of sex that leaves you on the bed scared that you might be dying because you can barely move? A spine wracking orgasm that just keeps coming, wave after wave after wave?”

Catherine was backpedaling as the muscle-bound potential continued moving toward her. She bumped into the wall. Neo rested her hands on the wood on either side of the woman's head.

“I'm talkin' about sex so good that you spend the rest of your life trying to find it again. The kind of hard, feral, animalistic  _fuck_  that ruins you for marriage. You ever felt that?”

Catherine found herself shaking her head. “Th-that's fantasy. That only happens in porn and trashy romance novels.”

The room all erupted into laughter. Even the twins chuckled. “Ask them,” Neo said, pointing to the two Victorville natives. “Ask them if sex that good exists.”

Catherine looked at the girls. They both were still blushing at being put on the spot but they did nod to the woman. “And guess what, lady? Every girl in this room is a fantastic fuck. I would know. I've had every single one of them. And they'll all get your motor running and never let you down. But there is one,  _just one_  in this room that could give you the paradise I'm talking about without breaking a sweat. I have to put in serious wrench time to get Rain and Sarah to that level. But this girl?  _This girl_ , she'll make you gay.” She looked to the room. “Ladies, who am I talking about?”

To a person, everyone pointed directly at Kat.

“Max!” Alexia barked out.

“Without mind fucking you!” Neo shot back, eyeing the girl.

“Oh, definitely Kat,” Alexia admitted. “The sex Goddess of Point Defiance, right there.” Everyone in the room nodded their agreement. Neither Talia nor Cerridwen had ever been with the girl but they'd heard enough to know it was true.

Kat grinned widely. “Hi,” she said, waving.

“Would you?” Neo said looking at Kat but indicating toward Catherine. “If she was down and your slayer two-pack prescribed your lovin' for the stick up her ass?”

Kat looked at Catherine. She was fairly average but had the look of a woman that would clean up well. She honestly reminded Kat of Edith. “Yeah, I would. If she was comfortable with it.”

“What do you say?” Neo asked, again looking at their host. “You wanna spend a night in the Kat's lair?”

Catherine wasn't sure what she was feeling. She wasn't gay. She was as straight as they came. The only thing, the  _only_  thing that made any of this sound remotely intriguing was the fact that she was fairly young at only thirty-five years old and was so into her career that she had never had time for a man. She looked the girl in the eye and turned toward Kat. She eyed the tattooed woman up and down. Catherine was never a fan of a lot of tattoos. Kat had far, far too many for her liking but she couldn't deny that Kat was extremely pretty.

“There's no time for that.” Talia finally piped up. “Not if we're going to start taking this town back.” She looked at Neo. “Quit seducing our nurse and take a shower. You smell like sex.” She then turned to Rain and Sarah. “So do you.”

Neo smiled at her and nodded. “Fair point.” She looked at Catherine. “Saved by the bell,” she said, moving away from her to grab a shower. The nurse was left drawing in one ragged breath after another.

Alexia and Faith just chuckled at the woman's reaction to Neo. “Yeah, that's about right.” The younger slayer said, smiling.

“You'll have to pardon Alice,” Talia said, softly. “She's impulsive and…”

“The same as the rest you,” Catherine said, trying for irritated but failing miserably.

Kat gave her an apologetic smile. “Sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”

“It's alright,” Catherine said. “Truthfully it's been a while since I was around young people.”

 

“I cannot believe you bought a minivan,” Alexia said, shaking her head. “A God damn minivan.” She looked at Kat as the girl sat behind the wheel of the 1999 Chevrolet Astro Van. “I thought you better than this.”

Kat sighed, not for the first time. “You can walk, you know.”

“And you paid how much for this piece of shit again?” Alexia asked.

“Twenty-two hundred bucks.” Kat offered. “It's actually a pretty damn good rig, Lexi. The guy we got it from took a hell of a loss on it, given all the work he did.” She cast a sidewise glance at the girl. “Don't make me list off what the guy did.”

“Oh, you could,” Alexia said. “Don't mean I'd understand it or agree that it's worth two grand.”

“She has a point, K,” Faith said from her spot in the backseat. She looked around again. “Can't deny it's comfortable though, Lexi.”

“Do they always do this?” Rain asked. She was sweating under her body armor. “And how do you guys wear this all night?”

“You get used to it,” Faith said. “And yes, they do this a lot. Lexi thinks the minivan is the bane of the automotive enthusiast's existence.”

Rain nodded. “Tanner Foust thinks so, too.”

Alexia turned and looked at her. “You watch American Top Gear, don't you?” At Rain's enthusiastic nod, the teen glowered. “You are the enemy and must be crushed underfoot.”

“I just…I like it better. I mean, the British version is funny and a lot of their challenges are entertaining but I'm never gonna get to drive any of that stuff. I'm never gonna own a British Leyland… _anything_  and I'll never be able to afford a Lamborghini or a Ferrari. But I know I can afford and find most of the stuff on the American version.”

Kat looked at Alexia and chuckled. “Hah,” she said, smiling.

“Yes, yes, all valid points,” Alexia said. “But between Adam, Tanner, and Rutledge there's just…no chemistry. At the very least not as much as with Jezz, Dick, and Jim,” Alexia said. “Just three middle-aged men cocking about.” She added, grinning.

“I'll admit that,” Rain said. “With the American series, they do try hard to seem like friends but it doesn't always work out. I'll give you that one. British boys have also been together a lot longer. And in the first couple of seasons, they didn't seem as close as they are now, though.”

“Fair enough,” Alexia said. “I've taken to watching both. I have to admit, I find the fact that Adam destroys everything he drives to be funny as hell. He picks good rigs he just…can't drive.”

“Kinda drives like you,” Kat said.

“Fuck you, Wulfheim,” Alexia said. “I can drive.”

“Yeah. Okay,” Kat said.

“Look, just because I can't thread a needle at two hundred miles an hour with a semi, doesn't mean-,”

“Okay,” Kat said. “First off…” She paused. “You know what? I really don't have the time, energy, or inclination to explain everything that was wrong with that statement.”

Alexia looked back at Rain. “Kat's the kind of driver they make movies about. She makes the guys who did the stunt work for the Fast and Furious movies look like kids out of driver's ed.”

“Christ, Lexi,” Kat said, shaking her head. “I'm not that fuckin' good.”

“No but you are that crazy,” Alexia said to her.

Kat nodded. “Fair enough.”

“Why do you say that?” Rain asked. “She seems like she's driving alright to me.”

“Well, there was the time she was driving our friend Max's car down Pacific Avenue in Point Defiance backward at speed while counting how many guys were in the car that was following her.”

“You forgetting that your mom did that, too?” Kat asked her.

Alexia turned to Rain. “She nearly outdrove The British Stig.”

“Wow.” The girl said, impressed. “I'm lucky to parallel park without hitting something.”

“Christ, is it just me or is it dead out here? And not in the good, fun way,” Faith said, sighing heavily of boredom.

“I'm just surprised there haven't been any cops or anything to question any of us.” Rain offered, off hand.

“Why would they?” Alexia asked, curiously.

“Because you guys blew up a building on an Air Force Base,” Rain said.

“Oh, shit, that reminds me,” Kat said. “Call Danforth and put it on speaker, would you?”

Alexia raised her eyebrow and pulled her cell out, making the call. “Why?”

“Gotta ask him something.”

Alexia shrugged and waited. “You plan on blowing up any more buildings?” Danforth asked, somewhat flustered.

“Don't know. Depends on if we find anymore infested with vampires,” Alexia said. “What's the official word on that, by the way?”

“Special Ops training mission,” Danforth said. “Not a lot of questions get asked then.”

“Cool. If it's any consolation, there were damn near forty vampires in that building. This whole town, from what our contact says, is infested with vampires.”

“We've been monitoring. It hasn't been very long,” Danforth said. “We don't have any official numbers. What are you looking at?”

“No idea,” Alexia said. “Cerri is putting them at high double, low triple digits for now.”

“I'm working on getting you some backup. But what with the Initiative Sunnydale going off the grid…”

“Haven't you been able to get access since Rite gave you a window?”

“No. The base went into lockdown. All in and outbound transmissions have been cut. We're not getting anything on what happened. I have gotten government oversight to send a team. They're being briefed as we speak.”

“Good deal. Steele is there now helping Buffy in case their pet project goes on the warpath.”

“She's got a good head on her shoulders. I'll let it rest with her,” Danforth said. “So to what do I owe the pleasure of this call?”

“Kat has a question to ask you,” Alexia said.

“Hi, Admiral,” Kat said, smiling. “How you doin'?”

“Wary,” he said. “What did you wanna ask me?”

“Out at George Air Force Base, there's a lot of planes just kind of sitting there,” she said.

“It's a holding yard,” he said. “Why?”

“Can I have one?” Kat asked.

“Can…you want…what?” he stammered.

“A plane. Can I have one?”

“You just want me to give you a plane?” he asked her. “Just like that?”

“There's like, dozens of planes out there,” Kat said. “You ain't usin' 'em.”

“ _Yet_!” He snapped. “I can't believe you're asking me to give a plane. We don't just hand out multi-million dollar aircraft like candy at Halloween.”

“Think of it as a donation,” Kat said. “We'll even paint like, 'Generously donated by the United States Government' or something on it.”

“No!” He shot back.

“Come on.” She whined. “I don't need like, a C-17 or anything. It can be something older. And old Starlifter or a Hercules would be fine.”

“Christ,” he said, rubbing his face in his hands. “You're not gonna let this go, are you?”

“Given what we do, I don't think it's too much to ask,” Kat said, sternly.

“You guys just blew up a building on a military base. You race along the highways of the country at breakneck speeds and discharge heavy weapons in public. You break into buildings and lord knows what else. Trust me, I do plenty to repay you for what you do,” Danforth said.

“I…really can't argue that,” Kat said, sadly. “I shouldn't have asked.”

“Look,” Danforth said, softly. “There's a lot of surplus out there. I'll see what I can do. I might be able to talk the DOD into an older rig. But I don't promise anything.”

Kat grinned. “Okay. Whatever you can do. I have a pilot's license.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Danforth said. “Keep me posted on what you all find.”

“Not a problem,” Alexia said, ending the call. “You know that means no, don't it?”

“Not for Danforth. Besides that, given that they're phasing out the C-130, the chances are probably pretty good that we could get hooked up,” Kat said, optimistically.

“I can't believe you called an Admiral to ask if you could have an airplane,” Rain said, shaking her head. “Incredible.”

“It would definitely be nice to have,” Faith said. “That way, we could get anywhere in the country we needed to be in hours. And we can take a car or two with us so we don't have to rent. Shit, we can even set up sleeping quarters in the plane so we don't have to stay at hotels and shit.”

“That's true,” Alexia said. “You know, even if he can't just hand us the keys to one, we can still probably buy one.”

“You can actually pick up a used Hercules for about three million bucks. They're not that expensive, all things considered.” Kat offered. “Fuck me, Faith's right. There's nothin' going on out here.”

“We've got two,” Alexia said, pointing to a couple walking down the street.

“How do you know?” Kat asked, pulling to a stop to watch them.

“Rain? What do you think?”

“That they're vampires.” The girl said, simply. “They're out for a romantic stroll at night without a care in the world. There's gotta be a reason. How could _you_  tell?”

“No reflection in the window,” Alexia said. “Come on. Let's go say hello.” The four girls climbed out of the minivan. “Nice night,” she said, smiling.

The pair looked at the four girls. “About time,” the man said, smiling. “We've been walking this street all night, waiting for you find us.” He lifted his fingers to his mouth and let out a sharp whistle. Suddenly a dozen vampires spilled out of the alleyways around them. “Remember. Keep one of them alive,” he said.

“Oh, God,” Rain said, frantically pulling the katana from her back.

“Twelve to four?” Alexia said, looking around. “That seems horribly unfair.”

“Yeah, it does,” Faith said, pulling her bowies. “They should have brought more.”

Kat sighed and thought a moment. It had been a while since she just went old school. She pulled the machete from her back and the stake from her belt. “Stay close to me,” she said to Rain. The girl nodded, swallowing her fear. She could feel the hum of the magic sword in her hands. She thought to what Neo had said to her just last night. The potential's voice rang in her ears.  _”You've been takin' the fight to the dark side and winning. Not a huge body count but you've been chipping the armor. That's more than most can say.”_  She gripped the sword tighter and held it before her. If she was going down, she was going to take some of them with her.

The four girls stood back to back in the middle of the street as vampires moved around them, hissing and growling.

For several seconds, nothing happened. Then, as one, the undead monsters attacked.

Thanks to her mind-boggling speed, Alexia engaged first. Her shamshir arced in, taking a vampire at the shoulder and carved down to his navel. He screamed as the enchanted steel cut his heart in two. He blasted away in a hail of dust. A second vampire approached, looking to capitalize on her seeming distraction. He learned, painfully that she was anything but. Her blade whipped back at him. With a glint, his head was gone. She was attacking her third opponent before the vampire was dusted. She planted a high side kick into the next beast's face. He flipped about in the air, landing hard on the dirt. She plunged the sword into his chest, ending him.

Faith stepped forward and dropped to her knees as the two vampires came at her. She rammed her blades into their bellies, causing them both to double over. She shot to her feet, crossing her arms over her chest, then struck with deadly accuracy and efficiency, taking two heads as the vamps were bent over. Another growled and came at her. She took a step and jumped, landing both feet on the demon's chest, hurling him backward as she dropped onto her back. She kicked herself to her feet and was squared off with yet, another. She slashed him a dozen times before taking his head in a brilliant display of knife superiority.

Kat kept herself covered and on the defensive. The machete, she knew wasn't enchanted in any way. All it had going for it was the carbon blade and the laser etched crosses up and down its length. As her first adversary came in, she was careful. He had some age to him and wasn't a novice to the fight. He shot out with a hard side kick. She lifted her knee to deflect the strike. She then issued a straight kick that staggered him back. She followed as he stepped back and rammed the stake into his chest, dusting him. Another vamp came in, catching her in the ribs with a hammer hard body blow. The armor absorbed most of the impact and she was left with little more than a dull stiffness. She brought her foot up and drove it down onto the side of his knee. The bone snapped with a loud  _crack_. The vampire went down, hard. Her blade took his head a heartbeat later.

Another vampire snarled and leaped at her. She pushed the blade into his chest, impaling him through the heart. He screamed as the crosses burned through. He slid down over her in a wash of ashen dust. She closed her eyes and turned her head. “Ew,” she said as he dissipated.

Rain wasn't paying attention to the fighters around her. She was vaguely aware of the vampires' numbers dwindling fast. As they approached her, a cold burn clenched her heart. She was terrified. Every vampire she'd dusted before had been a combination of diversion, ambush, and luck. She'd set fire to buildings, constructed rudimentary traps, and even crushed one with an I-beam. She'd never,  _ever_  faced one down in open one on one combat. Now, she was out of her element. There was no place to run, no way to escape. She had to  _outfight_  the demon-possessed husk that bore down on her. There would be no running away.

“You look scared,” he said, smiling.

“I am,” she said to him.

“Don't worry…” He said, moving forward. He pushed her blade gently aside, getting up close and personal. “It'll all be over in a minute.” He bared his fangs at her. He was suddenly shocked when the blade slid into his ribs beneath his arm and found his heart.

Rain glared at him defiantly. “I know,” she said before he exploded into dust. She barely had time to recover before another screaming girl came at her, her clawed fingers looking to rip her throat out. Rain dropped to her knees at the last second. The vampire ran into her full force. The potential then stood, throwing her arms upward. The vampire flipped over her and crashed down to the pavement, hard. Rain turned and brought the sword down to stab the vampire in the heart. The beast caught it and tried desperately to keep it from impaling her. Her hand sizzled as the crosses burned through her flesh.

Rain was suddenly ripped free of the beleaguered vampire. A hand gripped her short brown hair and wrenched her head to the side. She panicked and brought her foot up between her assailant's legs. A strangled growl resulted and she was released. She turned around, swinging the sword like a baseball bat. The enchanted blade sliced into the vamp's chest, stopping at his ribcage. He looked at her, surprised before he burst into a cloud of dust.

She whirled around again to see the girl flinging herself with all of the fury of the undead. Rain went down in a tumble with the vampire atop her. The demon tore the blade free and cast it aside. “I'm gonna rip your Goddamn throat out!” The vampire shrieked, reaching for Rain's neck.

Ten years of running, jumping, and hanging off the edges of buildings by her fingertips had given her quite a bit of physical strength. She was able to keep the vampire from giving her a forced and violent tracheotomy but only just. The girl was strong and would eventually win out, Rain new. She had to act fast. She pulled the vampire's arms out wide, causing her to pitch forward. Rain then shot her face forward, driving her forehead into the vampire's nose. The girl squealed and grabbed her face. Rain shoved her backward with all her strength. The undead girl fell backward, freeing the free running potential. Rain scrambled to her feet.

Kat was there with the katana. “Here. Might need this.”

Rain took it and quickly stabbed the vampire in the chest, dusting her. She was breathing heavily and felt like she was about to pass out. She turned to see Alexia and Faith beating the last vampire to a bloody pulp, asking him questions as they did so.

What they learned from him was truly terrifying.


	19. Chapter 19

“Are you fucking  _kidding me_?” Neo asked, anger washing her face red.

“No joke,” Alexia said, leaning her head back on the sofa. “He said there were over a hundred vampires in this town. Above and beyond what we’ve taken out thus far.”

Talia looked at everyone with fear in her eyes. “We can't handle that many on our own.”

“That is a lot of vamps,” Faith said. “I mean, we three and Buffy handled a nest of thirty but we had surprise on our side. Now, these sons-a-bitches know we're coming and are prepared for us.”

“They've seriously battened down. We didn't find shit out there tonight.” Kat piped in.

“What are you going to do?” Catherine asked. For the past two days, she'd had her home pretty well taken over by the group of girls. She honestly felt safer with them staying with her but at the same time, she longed to get back to her boring life. She'd since requested – and been granted – a leave of absence from her work at the hospital. The last thing she needed was to try to get enough sleep to work with the girls running in and out of the house at all hours of the night. As it was, she, Talia and the twins were working on putting together a quick meal…at three o'clock in the morning.

“From what the vampire said after Alexia showed him all those pieces of himself…” Kat began explaining.

“Nice,” Neo said, offering her fist to Alexia. The younger slayer bumped it, smiling.

“…He said that the vampire population had scattered. There's pockets of them all over the place. Groups no larger than ten or fifteen, per their new alpha's orders.”

“Any idea who the new alpha  _is_?” Neo asked her.

“He never said,” Faith said. “We both put the hurt down on him but he wasn't talking. K dug into his head but didn't get anything.”

“I don't think he knew,” Kat said, shaking her head. “But I'm not gonna lie, it's got me on edge.”

“Why?” Neo said, leaning against the arm of the sofa. “We hunt 'em down group by group and take their asses out.”

“Maybe,” Kat said, biting her lip. “It's just…these guys seem way too adaptable. I mean, look at it. One night and they're already scattering and going to ground.” She shook her head, looking at the group. “They're organized.”

The twins both looked at each other for a few seconds, just staring at one another. “Maybe their new alpha has military training.” Sadiira offered, turning back to look at Kat.

“That's a scary fuckin' prospect,” Rain said from her spot on the sofa next to Sarah. “If that's the case, is there really anything we  _can_  do?”

Neo looked at the girl and couldn't help but smile. Rain was in it to win it. She'd proven with that statement alone that she was gonna be a part of whatever went down, come what may. Neo respected the hell out of that. “We can handle it.”

“We're talking about an army of vampires that has home field advantage,” Talia said. “I'm not belittling anyone's abilities here…”

“Funny, cause that sounds exactly like what you're doing.” Neo shot back.

“Stop being such a pissy britches and listen to the words coming out of my mouth.” Talia snapped to her. “What I'm trying to say is that we might wanna consider calling for some reinforcements.”

“Not to rain all over your parade, British…” Faith said, looking at her. “We  _are_  the reinforcements.”

“I don't get it. I've been up on the website. Last summer you all stormed the Boneyard together…”

“Yeah. But let's run the roster, shall we?” Alexia said. “The Winchesters are stuck back east dealing with their own shit. Buffy and crew are so bogged down in Sunnydale that  _they_ needed backup from Steele. Xander and the Wolf pack are holding down Point Defiance. Panzer and Doro are in Europe, and Angel is having serious issues of his own and who knows how bad Max and Shelby have it with these five gone.” She shook her head. “We're running seriously low on people we can call right now. Every other freelancer we've got is busy doing their own thing. This is all on us.”

Talia sighed and moved over, putting her arms around Neo. “I just don't like the odds.”

Neo wrapped her arms about her Watcher. “I know, baby. But this is the world we live in and these are the hands we're given.”

The girls all chuckled. “Nice,” Alexia said, smiling at her.

“Seemed appropriate,” Neo said, shrugging.

“There really isn't anything we can do about it tonight,” Quan said, rising from the easy chair and stretching. “We're gonna have to-,”

Before she managed to finish her statement, all hell broke loose outside the house. Kat's Torino, Quan's Raptor, the Hillbilly Deluxe, the travel trailer and the minivan that they'd just bought all blew apart.

Kat managed to throw her hands out a split second before the heat and glass burned them to a crisp and cut them to ribbons. The shield she summoned directed the debris around them all.

A loud crash sounded from upstairs. Alexia and Faith both looked at each other as they sniffed the air. “Fuck,” Faith said.

“Gas.” Alexia returned. A heartbeat later a loud  _whoosh_  emanated from the floor above them. “The house is on fire!” The teen screamed.

“Everyone out!” Kat shouted. “Through the back!”

Cerri slapped her laptop closed and tucked it under her arm. Quan scooped her up and carried her out into the backyard. The entirety of the group met up in the alley and turned to see the house engulfed in flames.

Catherine dropped to her knees. “My house…” she said, tears flooding down her cheeks. “Everything I owned was in there.”

The rest of them just stared angrily. “Come on,” Talia said, trying to rally everyone. “We have to get off the streets.”

“These fuckers are smart,” Kat said, her tone iron tight and hard as nails. She looked at the rest of the group. “All our gear was in those cars and in that house.”

“These fuckers know what they're doing,” Neo said, cracking her knuckles.

Alexia reached back and gripped the hilt of her shamshir. Faith did the same with her blades. Rain still carried her katana. All of them were still wearing their body armor. Each of the twins were carrying a sidearm but that was it. As Kat had pointed out, all of their hardware was in the house and in the trailer. They both grinned. “We've still got a chance,” Sadiira said. She turned to Cerri. “Our weapons locker is fireproof.”

“Thank God for small favors,” Kat said. “Catherine? You have anyone you can call that can come and get you? A place to stay?”

She was still on her knees. She turned and looked up at the girl as if she hadn't heard her. Suddenly, her face twisted into a mask of rage. She leaped at Kat, her fingers hooked into claws. Kat smoothly gripped her wrists and held her tight. Alexia, Faith, and Neo were all within a step when they saw that the tattooed fighter had it under control. “You!” Catherine snarled, angrily. “This is all your fault. If you all hadn't picked my door to come to…”

Rain stepped up to her. “Then you should blame me. I was the one that brought them here.”

Catherine turned to her. “You little bi-,” She didn't finish the words as Neo slapped a hand over her mouth.

“No,” Neo said. “I don't fuckin' think so. If you had your choice you'd have left her and Sarah to fuckin' die in the streets like animals.”

In that moment, all of the bluster was blown right out of Catherine's sails. “But my house…” She fell against Kat, crying. “Everything I am was in that house. My life, my memories.”

“I'm sorry, Catherine,” Kat said, holding the woman as she wept. “But how you feel now? That's how people are being made to feel in this town night after night, day after day. I know you wanna always believe it'll never happen to you but it can. It  _did_.”

“Was only a matter of time before they took you, too,” Neo said. “Not an if but a  _when_.”

“So do you have anywhere you can go?” Kat asked her.

“I… _sniff_  have a sister in Los Angeles,” Catherine said. “But I don't have any way to get there.”

Neo turned to Talia. “Shit just got real. You can see that.” The woman nodded. “I want you gone. You're takin' Catherine and Cerri to LA.”

Kat scanned up and down the alleyway. She grinned as she saw what she was looking for. She trotted over to the two-tone cream on red Chevelle Laguna and tried the door. She smiled as the door opened up. She climbed under the dashboard and immediately pulled a pair of wires down, tapping them together. The rig fired up. “There we go.” She got up and turned to the girls. “You got a ride.”

Cerri looked at the car and turned to Quan with an extremely sad expression. “I don't wanna leave you,” she said, tears in her eyes.

Quan reached down and picked the girl up. “I'm gonna be fine. But I can't be what I have to be if I gotta worry about you, baby.” She pecked the girl on her lips. “I need to know you're safe.”

“I don't want anything to happen to you,” Cerri said, her voice cracking.

“Nothin's gonna happen to me,” Quan said. “You gotta believe that.”

“I'm scared,” Cerri said, her voice now barely a whisper. “Please,  _please_  don't die on me.”

“I promise,” Quan said. “I've never broken a promise I've made to you, have I?” As the girl shook her head, the big woman smiled. “I don't aim to start now.”

“I love you,” Cerri said, kissing Quan passionately. “Be careful.”

“I love you, too.” Quan put the girl back on the ground.

Rain turned to Sarah. “I want you to go with them. We'll meet you in LA as soon as we can. Might be a few days.”

“Just be careful,” Sarah said, pulling her in for a hug. “I don't wanna lose you. Not like this.”

“You won't,” Rain said. “I've gone some of the baddest bodyguards ever looking after me.” She kissed blonde girl lovingly. “I'll live for you, I promise.” Sarah gave her one last smile before heading to the car.

Talia looked Neo in the eyes. “I could be an asset, you know.” The elder woman said.

“Yeah, I know you could,” Neo said. “I just…” She closed her eyes and let out a low growl.

Talia stared a moment and saw something that she'd never seen before. She was fairly certain that no one had ever seen such a thing on the girl before.

Neo…was crying. “I love you, Goddammit. And I ain't gonna have anything happenin' to you. You hear me, woman? You're gonna get in that fuckin' car and you're gonna drive to LA and wait until I call you.”

Talia gently wiped the tears from the girl's cheeks. Neo caught her wrist, holding it firm. Then, slowly she closed her eyes and caressed Talia's hand with her cheek. “I ain't never felt this way with anyone, Tal. Anything happens to you and I'd lose it. All I'd see is red and I know I'd die. I'd die just to see you again.” She shook her head. “My girls couldn't handle that. We need each other. And I need you. So I need you to go. Get away from this town and everything about it. I promise I'll live for you. If nothing else, I'll survive long enough to say goodbye.”

She was startled as Talia slapped her across the face. The British woman's eyes were, like hers, rimmed with tears. “Don't you ever say that to me, Alice Frog. You are going to live, do you hear me?” She was crying in earnest now. “You'll do what it was you were born to do and clean this town up. Then you're going to come back to me and fuck me harder than you ever have in your life, is that understood?” Her voice was as hard as iron.

Neo nodded. “I promise, Talia.” She crushed the woman to her. “I promise.”

“Good,” Talia said, kissing the young potential as fiercely as she could. “Then I dare say, that's the end of it.” With that, she turned and made her way to the car. “Come girls. We've got a bit of a drive ahead of us.”

Neo, Rain, and Quan stood and watched as the girls all piled into the Chevy and pulled away, heading west.

“Talia was right,” Kat said. “We gotta get off the streets. We're all easy pickings in the open like this.”

“We need to pick through the rigs and see if there's anything left we can salvage,” Alexia said, her voice heavy. The house was still an inferno. The girls had to circle around the block. Both she and Faith had their senses stretched wide open. They came to the front of the house to see everything in ruins. “Where's the fire department?” she asked.

Rain shook her head. “After dark, the emergency services don't answer.” She sighed heavily. “They stopped responding to 9-1-1 calls about two weeks ago.”

“What is this, the fucking Purge?” Faith asked. “It's just a free for all after dark now?”

Rain nodded. “Pretty much.”

Kat drew in a deep breath and began concentrating. She gathered as much power as she could. She walked up to the trailer's still burning hulk. She reached out as though she meant to put her hand into the fire.

Alexia stepped forward but Faith's hand stayed her. “Trust her. She knows what she's doing.” The younger slayer forced herself to stay where she was.

Kat moved her hand within inches of the flames and closed her fist. The fire itself seemed to gather into a tight globe. She then turned and, as though she were throwing a ball, cast the crimson sphere into the blaze that was the house. As the conflagration met, the house burned higher. She did this with the rest of the vehicles as well. When she was finally done, she staggered and nearly fell to the ground.

Alexia and Faith were there to catch her. “You okay?”

Kat nodded. “Just took a lot out of me.”

“Hey girls,” Neo said, grinning and pointing up the street. “We've got company.”

Everyone turned and peered into the darkness. A group of no more than twenty vampires were coming at them. “We should run,” Nadiira said, backing away from the group.

“Why? There's only twenty of 'em,” Neo said, cracking her knuckles.

“They're wearing body armor.” Nadiira turned to the rest of them. “They're wearing the same stuff we are. And they shouldn't be.”

“How the fuck did they get it?” Alexia asked.

“We need the weapons out of the trailer,” Sadiira said.

“Go,” Alexia said. “We'll give you the time you need.”

Kat breathed out and wiped the sweat from her brow. She turned to Rain. “You should have gone with them to LA.”

The girl shook her head. “I belong here.” She pulled the katana. “If I'm gonna die, it's gonna be here where my home is.”

“Careful what you wish for,” Kat said, drawing in the power she would need. Her head swam and her heart pounded. She knew that she didn't have the physical wherewithal to take the vampires in front of her without help. She used the magic that came flooding in to give her the strength she'd need. She then reached over and gripped Rain by the shoulder, giving her some of that power. “You've got about twenty minutes. Make them count.”

Rain could feel the strength coursing through her. The vampires broke into a run. They weren't newbies. Alexia and Faith could feel that much. These were warriors. They were vampires that knew the clutch and weren't afraid of death.

The twins ran to the trailer and began tearing the scorched body panels apart, looking for their arsenal. They heard the symphony of combat behind them. They trusted their friends to keep the vampires free of them so they could do what they had to do.

Alexia and Faith were the first two to meet the demons. Alexia was shocked when the vampire before her jumped, looking to plant both feet into her chest. She likewise leaped, flipping to the side as the beast sailed past her. He landed and spun, squaring off.

Alexia hit the ground and came around. She was unprepared for the vamp that hammered her in the back with a hard kick. She staggered under the impact to catch her primary opponents boot to the face. She flipped into the air and fell to the ground. Her vision swam. She had to blink to clear the cobwebs. She could taste blood in her mouth. She covered herself as the vampires both came in at her, kicking her relentlessly. She thought quickly and delivered a hard punch to one of their genitals…and was dismayed when it did no good. “Shit,” she said, suddenly fearful.

She was saved as her love came in with a flying kick that sent one of the demons into the air. Kat landed hard and dropped to a crouch, taking the second vampire's legs from beneath him. He was momentarily airborne. Kat spun and planted her boot into his chest, sending him soaring. She reached down and took Alexia's hand. “Still havin' to look out for you,” she said, smiling.

“Good thing, too. Fuckers are wearin' cups,” Alexia said.

Kat pulled Alexia forward and rolled across her back to kick another vampire in the face. “Then be more creative,” the tattooed girl said, hammering the demon into the concrete with a scissor kick to the back of the neck.

Alexia pulled her shamshir and spun it in her hand. “How about I be a little _less_ creative?” she asked, going after another vampire. The demon growled and went at her. She attacked him relentlessly. She knew her blade wouldn't do a lot of good against the body armor he was wearing. He ducked and rolled as she swiped at him. She feinted high. He dipped below the swing…putting him directly in line for her follow up. Her blade sliced through his neck, not even slowing. She sensed movement behind her and came around, taking another vampire's head, slicing him across his mouth and through his dome. He slowly fell to the ground crumbling into a pile of ashen dust.

Faith had both her knives out and was having a hard time with the pair of vampires that were taking her on. They were armed, as she was, with large knives. She was parrying and moving, keeping ahead of the pair but only just. She'd never fought vampires like this. These were some seriously badass dead guys. “You boys know what you're doin', I'll give you that.”

“We know all about you,” one of them said. “And we're  _better_.”

Faith grinned. “That a fact?” she asked. “Then maybe I should stop fuckin' around.” She dropped to her knees, striking at their legs.

Both vampires backflipped as the blades came in. Faith's knives missed the mark as the pair took to the air. They came back down on their feet. Faith's arms were out, leaving her wide open. Both vampires put a hard boot to her chest. She flew back and crashed to the ground on her back, sliding along the concrete. She managed, by sheer dumb luck, to keep her blades in her hands. She kicked herself to her feet, ignoring the pain in her chest and back. The vampires came back at her, snarling like beasts. She blew out a breath and moved back in, looking to take them down. She knew that she had to fight smarter, not harder. She again gave ground, waiting for them to provide an opening. She took a shallow cut across her left arm and another along the side of her face. She saw her moment and took advantage of it.

As one vampire came in, the second was only a heartbeat behind. She shot forward, her blades held standard fashion in her left hand, inverted against her wrist in her right. Both of the undead beasts had their own knives leading.

Faith pirouetted on her feet, twisting to the side as the first vampire came in, narrowly missing his weapon. Her knife came in taking him across the throat, severing his head from his body. He staggered past, breaking up to flitter away in the night breeze. She meanwhile continued to spin. As she came around, she again managed to dodge away from the knife that was looking to eviscerate her where she stood. The razor sharp blade sliced along the body armor, opening a channel in the black cloth covering. Faith's second knife came across and as with the first vampire, took the second demon's head. He fell to the ground as nothing but a cloud of fine ashen dust. She staggered to a stop and huffed, looking for another target.

Neo punched the vampire in the stomach, doubling him over. She wrapped her arm around his neck and gripped his belt, lifting him into the air and slamming him down onto his back on the pavement. She staggered over his prone form when another vampire delivered a hammer hard blow to her kidney. She grunted in pain and turned on him. Fire shot up her spine and down into her hip. She narrowed her eyes at him and reached out, plunging her hand into his mouth and gripping him by the bottom jaw. She wrenched him forward and likewise took hold of his face. She flexed every muscle in her nearly six-foot frame and snarled as she felt his bones break. The vampire hammered her armored ribs with blow after blow.

But he couldn't get her to release him. He screamed as the potential tore his bottom jaw free of his face. Blood sprayed over her hands. She then rammed the end of the macabre weapon into his eye. Lastly, she twisted his head, breaking his neck and threw him into the path of another vampire that lunged at her. Her face never lost its deadly expression. She stopped by her first opponent long enough to stomp on his head, crushing his skull to so much meat, dusting him. He was still disintegrating when she stepped past.

She made it one step before she caught a fist across the jaw that, by all rights should have dropped her. She felt the bones in her cheek fracture. Her right eye suddenly filled with blood. She could feel her jaw dislocate. Her head was rocked to the side so hard that she felt her neck pop. Pain erupted down into her right arm.

The vampire staggered past, firmly expecting her to be on the ground when he came back around. He was stunned to see her glaring at him through one eye. Her right was already bruising to the point of uselessness. Her jaw was dislocated and her cheek was bleeding. She slowly reached up and gripped her jaw and pulled it to the side, settling it where it naturally sat.

“What are you?” He asked her.

She reached out and gripped his throat, pulling him closer. “Pissed off,” she said, ripping his trachea free. She knew it wouldn't kill him but it would be damned uncomfortable. She threw him to the ground and stomped on his skull several times, killing him. “Fucker,” she said, breathlessly.

Quan, being the largest and most obvious of the six girls, was getting swarmed. Four vampires did their best to take her down. She parried and blocked their strikes, biding her time. These vampires were different than other's she'd dealt with. They were skilled, strong, and very fast. She had to call upon everything she was to keep from getting beaten down. She took hit after hit. She could feel the damage being done.

She decided that if an opening wasn't going to present itself, she was going to have to make one. A vampire's fist came in hard. She caught it and gripped his arm, pulling him with her as she turned, using him as a club to knock the other three vampires to the ground. She made one last rotation and slammed the demon into the ground with enough force to crack the concrete. He lay there dazed. She tore his body armor free and rammed the stake into his chest, dusting him.

One of the vampires that she'd downed got to his feet. She met him as he rushed her. She swung the armor she carried with both hands. Every ounce of strength her six foot, five-inch frame could produce, backed by all the magic in her ink collided with the vampire's face. His head was literally ripped from his body and sent flying. It crumbled to dust in midair as did the rest of his body. The last two vampires came at her. She tore the Kevlar plate free of the padding and hurled it with everything she had. Her aim was dead on. The makeshift missile sliced through the demon's neck. She sprinted through his still disintegrating corpse as she collided with the last vampire to challenge her.

He dove, slamming his shoulder into her abdomen and wrapping his arms about her waist, stopping her in her tracks. Quan tightened the muscles in her gut to keep from getting broken in two. She set her feet and stopped herself from being planted. She leaned over his back, encircling his middle with her own powerful arms and lifted him up holding him upside down for a moment before dropping to her butt, driving his skull into the concrete, splitting it like an overripe melon. She fell backward, breathing heavily as the demon died.

Rain was terrified. Completely and utterly terrified. Two of the vampires came at her at once. She kept her katana up, desperately trying not to get taken out. The vampires were both laughing at her. They were like dogs, these men. They could smell her fear. “You should run.” One of them said.

“Not that it'll do you any good.” The other added. “It would just be funny.”

She didn't say anything. She was pretty sure that she'd just puke, anyway. One of them went at her. She reacted quickly. The katana cut into his arm, taking it off mid-forearm.

“Fuck!” He snarled, backing away from her. “Stupid fuckin' bitch,” he said, gripping his bleeding stump. He went at her again, taking hold of her right wrist, pulling it out wide and squeezing. Thanks to the magic that Kat had imbued her with, she managed to keep her hold of the sword.

The second vampire, however, noticed this and pulled the blade from her hand. “I'll take that.”

Rain was now unarmed. She furrowed her brow and glared at the vampire. “This is my fucking town, you son of a bitch.” She slammed her forehead into the vampire's face. He was shocked enough that he released her. She punched him across the face as hard as she could. His head was rocked to the side and he staggered back. She pulled a stake from her belt, grabbed his arm and lifted it. She then rammed the stake into his armpit. The wood dove in and kissed his heart, dusting him.

She turned to the second vampire to see him swinging the katana at her. She knew she didn't have a snowball's chance in hell of parrying it or dodging it. _At least I'm gonna die fighting._  She thought to herself.  _Sorry, Sarah._

She closed her eyes and waited for the impact…

But it never came. She heard the growling “Fuck!” And opened her eyes to see the katana catch Neo in the ribs, cutting deeply into right side of her chest. The potential gripped the blade to keep it from burying itself too far. She backhanded the vampire across the face and stepped back. She coughed and spat blood onto the ground. She wrenched the blade free of her chest and spun it in her hand. With one solid strike, she cut the vampire's head clean off. She stood for a heartbeat or two before turning to Rain. “You should really hang onto this,” she said, handing the sword back to the girl.

Rain stared at her and gave a smile. She then frowned and lunged at the girl, pushing her to the side as a vampire leaped at the potential from behind. Neo went down under Rain's weight. The pain of impacting the ground caused her to cry out.

Rain rolled to her feet and jumped, lashing out with her sword. The blade ran the vampire's head through. She gripped it and pulled upward, carving the demon's skull in two. The sight of it brought bile to her throat. She swallowed the bitterness and struck again, taking the vampire's head. She turned to see Neo looking up and her and smiling. “Nice,” she said, giving the girl a thumbs up.

The twins smiled as they found what they were looking for. Their joy was short lived as two vampires, both eager for the kill appeared, seemingly from nowhere. Nadiira watched as her sister was pulled away from her. The vampire had a hold of Sadiira's hair and his arm wrapped about her waist. The girl pulled her pistol and pointed it at them.

“You willing to take the chance?” the vampire asked, smiling.

Nadiira said nothing. She squeezed off four shots in rapid succession. The hollow point bullets pierced his left eye, his right eye, dead center in his forehead and took him in the mouth, blasting out through the back of his throat. He fell to the ground, then fell apart.

Sadiira calmly drew her pistol and drew down on the second vampire that was trying to get to her sister. She emptied the magazine of her pistol into the vampire's neck. The bullets blew the monster's head off, dusting him. She ejected the clip and smoothly reloaded.

They flipped open the scorched and burned chest to see that the contents were unscathed. Nadiira, the physically strongest of the two reached down and lifted the six barreled M134 Minigun. Sadiira quickly strapped the ammo pack to her back. She patted her sister on the shoulder and nodded. “Time to plow the road,” she said, her voice hard.

Nadiira turned to the fighting in the street and moved out, narrowing her eyes on the combat. Rain stood closest to her. She stood back to back with Neo…who looked like she was about to drop. They were surrounded by a group of four vampires. “Neo!” She shouted. The potential saw her and nodded. She grabbed Rain and hit the deck. As soon as they were low, the girl squeezed the trigger. For half a second the barrels simply spun. Then hellfire belched from the end of the weapon as the bullets sawed the vampires in half. The body armor offered great resistance…for the first dozen or so shots. Then the undead menaces were nothing but sprays of red.

Nadiira said nothing as she turned and looked for new targets. None of the vamps wanted anything to do with her. Not that she offered them a choice. She gunned them all down as they tried to run. The chainsaw fire of the minigun roared through the streets.

She released the trigger and all was silent.

All of the girls were in a bad way. “We've gotta go,” Sadiira said. “The sun is coming up, in an hour, maybe two.”

“And the cops are gonna be real interested in what the hell happened here,” Kat said, looking around. The house was still burning.

The girls quickly looked for anything that was salvageable and left. They didn't have it in them to deal with police officers at the moment. “We need to get you to hospital,” Rain said, looking at Neo.

The potential looked at her and for once in her life, didn't argue. “Not a bad idea. Been a hell of a night.”

“But we survived it,” Alexia said, looking at the group. “That's gotta be something.”

Faith nodded, wrapping her arms around her and Kat's shoulders. “We live to see another sunrise. I'd call that a win.”

“I just hope all the vampires in town ain't like these fuckers. These guys were hardcore,” Quan said. “I never wanna face this shit again.”

“I hear that,” Kat said, groaning as she walked. “I feel like shit.”

Everyone in the group nodded. It had been a long night.

But it wasn’t _quite_ over yet.


	20. Chapter 20

“Are you sure?” Alexia asked, looking back down the alleyway they'd entered. “We're not really in the condition to handle any more vamps right now.” She shook her head. “I can't believe I said that out loud.”

Faith limped up beside her. “No joke.”

Rain, nursing her left side, looked back at the beleaguered bunch. Alexia's eye was on the verge of swelling closed and her lip was split. She was also favoring her left arm where the previous group of vampires had dislocated her shoulder. Faith was walking with a limp and her face was black and puffy on her right side with a cut across her cheek. Quan even looked in a bad way. Her fists and hands were scuffed and bleeding. She'd broken her left wrist grappling with a previous vampire and now had it wrapped so tight that her hand was starting to turn purple.

Neo, for all of the pounding she'd taken, was in good spirits. Her right eye was swollen completely shut to the point of blindness, the right side of her jaw was purple and black and, like Faith, she had a cut across her cheek. Her ribs, she was pretty sure were broken and she still had a burning sensation in her left kidney that she knew was pretty damn serious. The brutal strike she’d taken across the ribs from the katana hadn’t been quite as bad as she’d feared. All that aside, she still seemed to be having the time of her life.

The twins remained relatively unscathed as they did their fighting from a distance. Kat, likewise, and unusual for her, was in a fairly good way. She'd been sparing with her magic use and was relying very heavily on her training and speed. But she was exhausted from using what power she had. She'd collapsed numerous times as they'd run.

They'd fought their way across the city to a small housing development. Rain knew the area well. Most of the houses were still under construction but a few of them were recently finished and were listed. “I don't think there should be any vampires here. And the construction crews don't come out here as much. We should be safe, at least for the day.” Rain offered as she pushed the bottom of the gate surrounding the development open. She ducked through and held it ajar. When Alexia and Faith both grabbed the chain to break it off, Rain shook her head. “No. We wanna keep it looking like no one is here.”

Alexia immediately nodded. “Good call,” she said, climbing underneath. As soon as everyone was inside, they moved quickly to the large two-story house. It was a very nice affluent Victorian style home that, when all was said and done, would easily garner a five hundred thousand dollar price tag.

“We can hide out in the basement,” Rain said. “I've been down there before. The high school kids like to come down here and party.”

They made their way up to the door. Rain quickly tapped the code into the large box hanging from the doorknob that had the key inside.

“How do you know the combination?” Neo asked her.

“One of my friends from school's mom is the real estate agent listing the house. He lifted the code from her. He told it to me once. I've just never forgotten it,” Rain said as she pulled the key out and unlocked the door. She opened it and everyone rushed inside. She replaced the key and closed the door, locking it behind her.

“This is a pretty nice place,” Faith said, looking around. “You ever thought of getting something like this, K?”

“Not really,” the woman said. “I like my condo. I don't have neighbors to screw with me, I don't have to worry about noise complaints and I don't have to worry about vampires chucking Molotov cocktails through my windows.”

“Good point,” The slayer conceded. They followed Rain through the house to the kitchen and down into the large basement.

“I'm thinking that this is supposed to some sort of rec room,” Rain said as she flicked the light switch.

“How does this place have power?” Alexia asked, looking around the basement. The first thing she noticed, apart from the electricity, was the smell. Beer, puke, urine, and sex made the place smell absolutely foul.

“Fuck, it reeks down here,” Faith said. Sleeping bags, futon mattresses and old blankets were everywhere. The walls were tagged up with spray paint and empty beer bottles and cans littered the floor.

“Kat? Can you do anything about the smell down here?” Alexia asked her. “Cause, seriously, I'm about to go and take my chances topside.”

“Same here,” Faith added.

Kat sighed heavily. She was exhausted to the point of collapse. “I'll see what I can do.” She looked at Quan. “Can I borrow you for a minute?”

“What do you need, darlin?” the big woman asked.

“I need to draw some power off of one of your tats to get this done. I'm about tapped out,” Kat returned. “It'll drain your tat for a few hours but by nightfall, you should be fine. Is there any you haven't used yet?”

Quan stripped her shirt off, revealing her bra covered chest. “This one, right here,” she said, pointing to her ribs just under her left breast. “It's a magical protection tattoo, strangely enough. Ain't none of the boys we've dealt with used magic.”

“Will it resist my attempts to draw from it?” Kat asked her. She'd never worked with tattoo magic before, so she wasn't sure quite how it worked.

“Nah,” Quan said, shaking her head. “At least I don't think so. I gotta activate it for it to work, just like all the rest of 'em.”

“Well, here's to hopin',” Kat said, resting her hand on the ink.

Rain saw the huge woman without a shirt and inhaled sharply. She'd seen muscular women before but she'd never seen anything like Quan. Her body literally rippled with muscle. She was chiseled in marble. “Paint her green and she'd look like She-Hulk.”

“That's what she was for Halloween last year,” Neo said, smiling. “Cerri dressed up in a little business suit and went as Jennifer Walters. It was cute as hell.”

Kat closed her eyes and concentrated. Her head throbbed and her heart pounded from the strain. She'd never attempted what she was doing before. She'd created spells on the fly but never while magically burned out. Now, she was feeling the fatigue of running for the past two hours keenly. She wanted nothing more than to quit, the pain in her skull was so bad, but she knew that Alexia was right. The smell that permeated the basement was nauseating. It turned her stomach and she didn't have the enhanced senses the slayers did. So she took the energy from Quan's mark, altered it into usable magic and let it flow out into the room. She likened it to an air freshener, only stronger. It filled the room, purifying the air, cleaning the bacteria and stench from the old sleeping bags, blankets, and mattresses. For a few minutes, it smelled as if the room itself was burning but no fire or heat could be seen or felt.

After a time, Kat released her hold on Quan and nearly fell to the floor. The big woman grabbed her and held her close. Blood dripped from Kat's nose, the corners of eyes and her ears. “That…should do it,” she said, her voice slurred from exhaustion.

Quan scooped her up and moved her over to the futon mattress and set her down. “You're benched, sweetie,” she said, moving aside so Alexia and Faith could tend their girl.

“Thanks, Quan,” Alexia said, softly. Faith likewise nodded her appreciation.

Neo moved over and flopped down on an unrolled sleeping bag. “Anything in that mini fridge?” She asked, pointing.

Rain looked and trotted over, pulling it open. “A six-pack of Keystone Light.”

“Toss me one, would you?” Neo asked.

“As the oldest person in the room, it's my duty to lecture you on the illegality of underage drinking,” Kat said. “Consider yourself lectured.”

“Yes, mother,” Neo said. She took the can as Rain walked over and handed it to her. She popped it open took a long pull. She grimaced sharply. “Ugh. Fuckin' hell. This stuff tastes like piss,” she said, looking at the back of the can. She looked at the ingredients. “I think some of these chemicals are just code for piss.”

“It could be worse,” Sadiira said as she and her sister checked the sight lines from the basement. Most of the windows were covered over with newspaper but they could see out by pulling back the edges. “It could be Tecate.”

“Oh, God,” Neo said, shaking her head. “That shit is rank as all hell. Makes this shit look like German double bock.” She finished the beer and belched loudly. “So what's the plan?” She asked leaning her head back against the wall.

“I think we need to get you to a hospital,” Rain said.

“Ain't had time,” Neo said, looking at her. She was looking only through her left eye. She smiled at the girl. “It's not as bad as it looks.”

“I figured that,” Rain said, reaching out and pushing a lock of hair from Neo's face. “Because you look like you should be dead.”

“Go to the damn hospital, Neo,” Quan said. “Or I'll call Talia and tell her how fuckin' stubborn you're bein'.”

The girl sighed and looked at the big woman. “What are they gonna do that I can't?” Neo asked her. “They ain't gonna be willing to lace me open to drain the blood. That's really all I need done.”

“Really?” Alexia asked, looking at her. “Does that actually work?” She asked.

“It's worked for me,” Kat said, looking up at her. “When I was fighting in my first tournament I caught an elbow to the eye. Chick busted me pretty good. Took about three minutes before I couldn't see out of my left eye. Sensei used a razor blade and sliced me here,” she said, pointing to the spots above and below her eye. “Blood drained out and I could see.”

“I've done it,” Neo said. She pointed to Quan. “Just ask her.”

“Sadly, she has. Several times. It's weird that she doesn't scar up from it.” The big woman said. “You want me to lace you?”

“I'll do it,” Rain said, softly. “I can do it. You just need to tell me where.”

Neo nodded. “I need a good sharp knife.” Several of the women in the room produced knives. All of them were rather large. “That won't spear me through the skull.” The blades all vanished.

Alexia rose and moved over, pulling a small pocket knife from her assault vest. “Shave a spider's ass with this thing.” She offered it to the girl. She also pulled out the small camouflage Zippo. “Sanitize it before you use it.”

Neo looked up at her. “Thanks,” she said before turning back to Rain. “You sure about this, kid? Gonna get messy. It bleeds like a motherfucker.”

“I'm okay,” she said, nodding. “I'm gonna need water and something to dry the blood with.”

Sadiira stepped over, offering a canteen. Alexia handed her a handkerchief. “Is it sad that  _this_  is the thing about tonight that's gonna gross me out?”

“Poor baby,” Neo said to her. She kept her eye on Rain as the girl opened the Zippo and ran the blade of the knife over the flame. “You ever done this before?”

“No,” Rain said. “But I did dissect a frog last semester in Biology.” She looked down at Neo. “And I've seen the Rocky movies a bajillion times.”

Neo sighed. “That's a fuckin' comfort.” She closed her eyes and nodded. “Go to work.”

Rain straddled Neo's legs and leaned in, holding the knife carefully. “Actually, I've taken a lot of first aid. I volunteer with the fire department quite a bit. I don't go out on calls or anything. Mostly it's just cleaning up around the stationhouse and washing the truck but its good first aid training. That and being a free runner, I've spilled it enough times that having some medical knowledge is a good thing.”

“Good,” Neo said, feeling marginally better about letting the girl near her face with a sharp knife.

Rain lay a hand on Neo's forehead to steady it and slowly dragged the razor sharp blade across the grotesquely swollen eyelid. Blood immediately spurted out onto her hand. She took the handkerchief and held it, letting it soak it all in. She then pulled the bloody cloth away. The swelling was already nearly gone. She then repeated what she'd done with the purple mass below the potential's eye. Again, Rain pressed the cloth to the girl's skin. “Hold that there for a minute.” Neo did as she was instructed. Rain cleaned the blade off and handed it back to Alexia. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” She knelt and looked at Neo. “How's it feel?”

Neo furrowed her brow. “Like I got punched in the eye, had it swell shut then get sliced open like a fuckin' steak. How the fuck do you think it feels?”

“You're fine,” Alexia said, patting the girl's shoulder and getting up. She turned to see Kat, sitting up. “What are you doing?”

“I can heal her if I can draw a little bit more from…” Kat began.

“Bullshit,” Faith said. “Lay your ass back down.” She put her hands on Kat's shoulders and pushed her back to the bed. “You ain't doin' no more magic today.”

“Faith's right. You stay your inked-up ass right where it is,” Neo said. She pulled the cloth away from her eye. She could see but it was still a bit blurry. “I'll be good by nightfall. Might need some band-aids. We can always head out later and hit a pharmacy.”

She was shocked when Alexia pulled a small first aid kit from her vest. “Here.”

“What, are you fuckin' Batman or some shit?” Neo asked.

Rain took the case and smiled. She opened it and pulled out a few of the alcohol wipes. “This is gonna sting,” she said dabbing at the cuts.

Alexia shrugged at Neo's question. “I like being prepared.”

“What else you got in there?” Sadiira asked her.

Alexia began patting the pouches on her belt. “Space blankets, pen flares, holy water, collapsible shelter, beef jerky…”

“You have beef jerky?” Neo asked her.

“We all carry beef jerky,” Faith said. “Don't you guys?”

“Why in the hell do you all carry beef jerky?” Quan asked, looking at the three of them. Alexia raised an eyebrow and motioned around the room, giving her a 'Duh!' expression. “Fair point.”

“I also carry a couple of grand in cash, my smartphone, a secondary pay as you go phone and a sat phone.” She pulled out a small black case. “I also have this. It's a GPS that'll tell rescue services where you are in case you get lost in the woods.”

“Why do you carry a second pay as you go phone?” Sadiira asked.

“It doubles as a CB radio in case I'm somewhere that doesn't get cell service and I can't get a link to the satellite,” Alexia said. “Like I said, I like to be prepared.”

“Apparently,” Neo said. She looked back to Rain as the girl finished bandaging her eye. “Thanks.”

Rain gave her a soft smile and nodded. “You're welcome.” She looked her handiwork over. “Not bad, if I do say so myself.”

“Alright, people,” Quan said. “Let's all try and get some rest. It's been a long night.”

Kat was already fast asleep. Faith and Alexia stripped off their assault vests, did the same to Kat and snuggled in beside her. The twins used their k-bar knives and spiked the door to keep it from being opened easily and dragged a sleeping bag over underneath the stairs. Quan piled the blankets up and flopped down, out like a light.

Neo looked around and sighed. She was still a little wired.

“You okay?” Rain asked Neo. “Here. Take these,” she said, ripping open two packages of the pain killers that were in the kit.

“Don't like pain meds,” Neo said to her.

“Probably not but take them anyway. It'll help you sleep.” She handed the four pills to her. She then offered her the canteen of water. “Take them,” she said, softly.

Neo sighed and did as the girl said. She tossed all four pills into her mouth and swallowed them all with a hearty chug of water. “Feel better?”

“Yes, I do. Thank you,” Rain said, screwing the lid back on the canteen. She sat on her knees beside the girl and was content to stare at her.

Neo leaned forward and shrugged off her body armor and relaxed again against the wall. “That's better,” she said, breathing easier. She lifted her shirt. “How bad is it?” she asked.

Rain scooted forward and looked the girl's chest and ribs over. There was a good amount of bruising. She pressed on the bruises a touch. “How does it feel when I do this?”

“Like you're pushing on a bruise,” Neo said.

“Any shortness of breath or trouble breathing deep?” she asked.

“A little sore when I take a deep one but not too bad,” Neo said.

“Doesn't feel like it's broken,” Rain said, nodding. “Just bruised. The cut looks nasty as hell.” She spent a few minutes using the kit to clean the wound and bandage it properly. “You're gonna be sore for a bit but I don't see it bothering  _you_  too much.” She pulled the girl's shirt down. “You should probably try and get some sleep.”

Neo nodded and lay down on her side against the wall. She patted the spot in front of her. “So should you.”

Rain was just as tired as the rest of the girls. She pulled her own body armor off and lay it on the floor beside the sleeping bag. She nestled in against Neo's front and closed her eyes.

She felt the potential wrap her strong arm around her waist and pull her closer. Rain smiled and settled in. Neo's fingers began tracing lazy circles on the girl's stomach. “You know,” she said huskily. “You're pretty damn solid.”

“You've seen me naked, Neo,” Rain said, her voice hitching a little in her throat.

“Yeah, I have,” the beefy fighter said, her hot breath causing the hair on the back of Rain's neck to stand on end. “And I'm thinking I want another taste.” She slowly slid her hand down, unbuttoning Rain's cargo pants with a deft move. “That is if you're game.” She didn't, however, wait for a response. Her hand continued south, easing into the girl's soft undergarments.

“We'll wake the others,” Rain said softly.

Neo's strong hand slapped over the girl's mouth as she went to work with her other. “No, we won't,” she said, smiling.

Rain pressed her eyes closed as Neo quickly did one of the things she did best. The girl reached back, gripping the leg of Neo's pants tightly. Her body shivered and shook as she was brought quickly.

“Paradise by the basement lights,” Neo said, chuckling as the girl continued to climax again and again against her.

Alice Frog, beaten, bruised, fatigued, and hiding in an abandoned house in a shithole town… could think of very few places she'd rather be at this moment.

Granted, she did wish that Talia was here to share in the fun…

…but that was a fantasy for another time. She felt it as the girl bit down on her hand to keep from screaming. It was a pain that she was so very, very proud of.


	21. Chapter 21

Rio sat alone in her room, with the television on tapping away at her laptop. Flex was curled on her lap asleep. She heard the front door of the apartment open. She rose to her feet, earning an irritated meow from the cat, and moved out into the living room. Tara entered and looked at her fiancé. The pair met in the middle of the room, embracing and kissing passionately. They held each other for several seconds. The phone ringing stole their attention.

Tara moved over and picked it up. “Hello?” She asked, scratching Flex's ears as she rubbed her head over the woman's leg.

“It's Rite. I need you and Rio at the office as soon as possible,” she said, before hanging up.

Tara repeated what the girl had said as she set the phone down. “It sounded urgent.”

“I was rather hoping we could have some fun,” Rio said. She went in and got dressed. “Did Edith and Edward have fun?”

“They did. They enjoyed it immensely. They suggested a cruise for our honeymoon when we get married. The one they took was very romantic.”

Rio smiled. “I rather fancy that idea.” She pulled on a pair of lavender jeans, a hot pink t-shirt, and her purple Lugz. She capped the ensemble off with a dark purple leather jacket. The pair decided just to take Tara's Nova, given it was already warmed up.

Two minutes later, they pulled up to the office building. Instead of hassling any customers they might have had, they moved around to the service entrance. Rio punched in her security code and pulled the door open. Dee and Lucy bounded up to meet them both. Offering a pet and a scratch to each dog, they walked over to the huge bank of computer screens along the wall. Rite had the website up and was multitasking like only she could. It still amazed both women how much the girl was able to do at one time. “You said you needed to speak with us,” Rio said.

She nodded and brought the Shoutout request up. “The girls are in serious trouble,” Rite said, her voice hard. “And I've been hitting up every hunter I can find but no one and I mean  _no one_  is available.” She turned to Rio.

The woman saw the fear in Rite's eyes. Normally, she had unflappable confidence. She was always sure that everything would just… _work_ _out_. Now, as she stared into the girl's brown eyes, Rite was uncertain. She was  _scared_. “I don't know what to do, Rio.”

That admission, Rio knew, was a very serious one. “What do we know of their situation?”

“Well, they can't call in or out. I haven't been able to get in touch with anyone. The only cell phone that hasn't gone black is Alexia's. But even with her cell, her pay-as-you-go, and her sat phone are all dead giving intermittent pulses. That means they need to be charged. Cerri called me after she put the request up. They've got no resources down there. The trailer and both trucks we sent down were obliterated. Vampires torched 'em both. The twins were able to save some of their hardware but that's it. The Torino that Kat bought was a casualty too.”

“Vampires blew up their vehicles? That seems rather out of character for vampires,” Rio said, shaking her head. “If that's the case, these vampires are very well organized.”

“A little  _too_  organized,” Rite said. She rubbed her face in her hands. “They need a shit load of help.” For the first time since Rio had known the girl…Rite began to sob. “I can't fix this,” she said, sadly.

Rio searched for something,  _some way_  to help. It came to her in a rush. “Maybe you can't. But  _I_ can,” she said, smiling.

The two women both looked at her. “What do you plan to do?” Rite asked her.

“I'm going to go and help my slayers,” Rio said, nodding. “I need you to call the General. I'm going to need Jemma here as soon as possible.” With that, she turned and headed off.

Rite looked at Tara, her brow furrowed. “What is she planning?”

Tara watched her love stroll determinedly away. “What she's been trained to do.” She turned to Rite. “She's going to bring our friends home.”

 

George sat with his feet up on the coffee table watching television. He took the last swig of the beer he held and looked at it. “Dammit,” he said, sighing. He set the bottle down and turned back to the tube.

“Did you need another beer?” Jemma asked, suddenly beside him. She had an ice-cold bottle in her hand.

He gave her a warm smile and took it. “Thank you, darlin'.”

She returned the smile with one of her own and moved back into the kitchen.

He twisted the cap off and just took a pull as the phone rang. He reached over and lifted it. “Yeah?” He answered.

“General? This is Rite,” she said, nervously.

“Hey, sweetie. What's goin' on?” he asked her. “You sound scared, kid.”

“Your granddaughter's in trouble, General.”

“When ain't she?” he asked, chuckling.

“I mean it, General,” Rite said, her tone shaking. “She's in trouble.”

“What kind of trouble?” he asked, sitting up. He put his beer down. “Where is she?”

“She's in Victorville. Apparently, it's a vampire free for all when the sun goes down. Alexia, Kat, and Faith are down there with Demon Queller. They've also got a local girl with them that's been waging a guerilla war with the vampires for the past few weeks.” She began crying again. “I'm so sorry, General. I didn't know how bad the situation was. I, I thought it was just a few vampires. Thirty or so but…it's a lot more than that. We're talking triple digits.”

“Christ,” he said, rubbing his face in his hands. “Hamburger fuckin' Hill.”

“I'm so sorry,” Rite said again. “I should have done more research.”

“It ain't your fault, sweetheart. This kind of shit can happen. If the vamps were smart, then they knew how to hide. That ain't on you. What can I do to help?”

“A shoutout hit the site this morning. I've been on the horn with every hunter I can get a hold of. There's just no one available. Rio wanted me to call you. She said to send her Jemma.”

George looked at the girl. “She ain't thinkin' of sending her down there, is she?”

“I don't know. She just said that she needed the girl here ASAP. Not sure why. But I don't see Rio putting her in danger.”

“No, you're right,” he said, breathing easier. “She wouldn't. I'll send her,” he said, ending the call.

Jemma stood, staring at him. “Where am I needed?” She asked.

He rose to his feet and moved over to her. “Point Defiance. Rio asked for you.”

She hugged him and nodded. “I'll be back as soon as I can,” she said to him.

“Be safe, doll,” he said, softly.

Jemma stepped away and vanished in a flash. He nodded and moved back to the telephone. He dialed Rite back. “Hey, girl. I need you to get a phone number for me.”

 

Steven Travis let out a breath as he dropped down in front of his computer. The school day had been torturously long. At least, that's the way it felt. The only bright spot was the morning assembly that he was able to sneak away from with his girlfriend.  _That_ part of the day was entirely too short for his liking.

He cast a look at his backpack and contemplated whether to do his homework now or put it off. “Just math tonight,” he said, waving a hand at it dismissively. “It can wait,” he said, smiling.

“Steve?” His father, Command Sergeant Major Douglas Travis asked from the kitchen of their single level three bedroom home. “How was school?”

“Kinda like school,” Steven said, shaking his head. “Boring as hell.”

Doug sighed. He honestly wished his son took more interest in his education that he did. Granted, when he was Steven's age, he wasn't all that thrilled about school either. “I hear the recruiter was at your school today. Have you given it any more thought?”

Steven groaned, and dropped his head into his hands. It was a conversation he and his father had been having nonstop since the boy turned eighteen a month and a half ago. He was going to be graduating in June and hadn't settled on a plan yet. His father was in charge of the fifteen hundred men stationed at the Apple Valley National Guard depot. He'd served twenty-five years in the military and wanted desperately for his son to follow in his footsteps. The Army had done wonders for him and thought it a wise decision for his son.

But Steven hadn't exactly shown the interest his old man had. He didn't have a desire to join the military  _at all_. “No, dad,” he said, irritation in his tone.

Douglas kept quiet after that. When Steven was little, Doug took him to look at all of the trappings of the Army. The boy got to climb on and into an Abrams tank, which he thought was awesome, he got to ride about in the desert in a Humvee, and Steven had thought it was the coolest thing ever. His wife thought it was a bit hamfisted of him to tempt the boy so but she couldn't deny how much he loved it.

But since she'd left, Steven just never seemed to have an interest in anything that wasn't his computer. He supposed it was the same song and dance that every parent of a modern teenager shared. Children weren't raised by parents anymore. They were raised by digital and social media. Douglas did, however, keep a few of his family's traditions alive. He and his son always sat down at the dinner table, no television, no phones, no distractions, and ate dinner together.

Lately, they'd had little to talk about but it was still something that Douglas wanted desperately to keep doing. “Clam chowder and breaded halibut for dinner tonight,” he said to his son.

Steven perked up at that. “Okay,” he said, his tone immediately happier. He loved halibut and clam chowder. He logged on to his accounts and checked his email, his Facebook page, responding to the messages from his friends. He'd planned on camping in the hills with his buddies and his girlfriend this weekend. His father had even bought him a new tent, sleeping bag, and camping supplies for a time he'd be roughing it.

He then decided to check S3 dot com. He was an avid follower of Diablerie and was eagerly awaiting Max's newest music video. He was saddened when he clicked on her links to see that she'd not posted a new one in almost a month. “Man,” he said, shaking his head. His eye then fell to the red flag icon on the Forums tab. He furrowed his brow and clicked it, wondering what it meant. He saw that the 'Shoutout' thread was lighting up, big time. He'd never had a call to pay attention to it much. He'd looked at it a few times but most of the time it was for locations that were miles away.

He skimmed it at first, then, as certain buzzwords caught his eye, he read it again. An emergency shoutout, something that hadn't been brought up since the earliest days of the website, was in effect. And it was for the Victorville area.  _That_  shocked the hell out of him. He read the details and his heart sank.

Like most of the newer generation, he knew that the content on the site wasn't fiction. It wasn't just good special effects. It was the real deal. Vampires were real, they were a threat, and they would fucking kill you. It was a thing and he and his friends all knew it. And he'd heard the rumors floating over from the larger town to the Northwest. Rumors were that vampires were running the show. And that there were a  _lot_  of them. But they'd been staying in Victorville and not really branching out.

But he'd had no idea that the founder of S3 dot com had stepped up to the plate with her two closest friends and the girls from Portland to clean the town up. As he read on, he could see that they were in way over their heads. From what it seemed, there was a veritable army of vampires…and they were organized.

Over the course of the night, from what the shoutout stated, the girls had lost everything and were on the run. “I gotta do something,” he said, shaking his head. “Dad! Can you come here a second?”

Douglas dropped onion he was chopping, washed his hands, and moved quickly to his son's room. “What is it?” he asked, stepping in behind his son. He leaned down, resting his hand on the back of the chair and his other hand on the desk. “What is this?”

“S3 dot com,” Steven said. “It's a website dedicated to the supernatural.”

Douglas nodded. He was a believer in the paranormal. Having served in the Middle East, he saw plenty of things that he couldn't explain. “Okay,” he said, not sure what his son wanted him to see.

“This was posted a few hours ago,” Steven said, showing him the text.

Douglas read it, then reread it. “In Victorville,” he said, his voice angry. “That's a little too close for comfort.” He stood and wiped his head. “Why are you telling me?”

“Because you're in charge of a thousand soldiers,” Steven said. “You can do something about this.”

Douglas belted out a sharp, surprised laugh. “What? You want me to mobilize the entire station because there are vampires in Victorville?” He asked. Now, it had to be said, he knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt that there _were_. He'd witnessed it firsthand. And yes, he wanted nothing more than to storm the city, guns blazing, and mow the lot of them down. But he also knew that while soldiers more than regular civilians were a pretty superstitious and open-minded lot, the top brass, those he reported to, would more likely as not crucify him if they found out.

“You know there are, dad,” Steven said to him. “You told me you saw one.”

“Yeah, I know what I told you,” he said, rubbing his face in his hands. “But it isn't that simple.”

“They need help dad. You gonna just sit here and let them get shredded?”

“Look, it's not that I don't wanna help, I do. But there's nothing that  _I_ can do that's gonna help. I'm one guy.”

“In charge of an army,” Steven said, his tone growing angry and sad. “You want me to be like you.” He looked up at his father. “Follow in your footsteps. Be a proud soldier of the United States Army.” He shook his head. “And do what? Sit on my ass while monsters slaughter the people that actually  _are_  out there fighting?”

“That isn't fair,” Douglas said.

“Don't parents always tell kids that life isn't fair?” Steven said.

“Even if I  _could_  convince the battalion that we need to go and help, which I'm pretty sure they wouldn't buy…” He stared into his son's eyes. “My career is over. That's more than just a court-martial for every single soldier on this base. That's prison time, Steven. That's a stockade.”

He pointed to the screen. “If you don't? They die. Can you honestly live with that?” He moved over and brought up the profiles of all the girls there. “This is Slayer Three, dad. She has a twin sister, a ten-year-old brother and parents. She has a  _family_. This is Hunting Kat. She just reconnected with her mom six months ago, after not seeing her for almost three years. Like Slayer Three, she has a family. These are  _people_ , dad. They're not soldiers. They weren't trained to fight a war. Yet, here they are, doing it. And you're here bitching about a  _career_.”

Douglas was pissed. Pissed at everything. He was pissed that the vampires chose his neighborhood to make their feeding ground. He was pissed at the top brass who sat on their hands and let the town go to shit. He was pissed that his son was using logic and making sense. “I want you to understand something,” he said, resting his hand on his son's shoulders. “If I do this, I'm going to go to jail. You understand that? A lot of these men and women have families. Families that depend on them for their very livelihood.”

“Make it volunteer only,” Steven said. “I guarantee you, you'll get more than enough men to do the job.”

“We'll see,” he said, shaking his head. “I'm off to commit professional suicide.” He turned and made for the door.

“Dad?” Steven said, softly. As his father turned to regard him, he smiled. “This? What you're doing?  _This_  is what makes me wanna be a soldier.”

Douglas smiled and nodded, then left the room. As his cellular phone rang, he reached into his pocket and answered it. “Hello?”

“Command Sergeant Major Douglas Travis?” George asked.

Doug stopped and furrowed his brow. “Yes?”

“My name is George Pierce.  _General_  George Pierce, United State Army.”

Doug was shocked. He knew full well who the man was. He'd heard stories of him growing up. “Sir. It's an honor to speak to you.”

“I got your number from a young friend of mine. I need your help, son.”

“What can I do for you, sir?” He asked, crisply.

“Not sure if you're aware of the situation currently in Victorville to the Northwest of you.”

“I am, sir.”

“I need you to do something for me. Keep in mind, I'll take full responsibility.” George's voice softened. “I need you to save Alexia Norwood-Pierce and her friends. She's my granddaughter.”

“Slayer three, sir?” Doug asked.

“That's right,” George said. “You do what you have to do, soldier. But get her and her friends out of Victorville. You catch any heat, you direct them to me, understand?”

“Pardon me for asking this, General but…are you still able to issue orders?” Doug asked.

“Son? You do what I tell you to do and you ain't gonna get in a lick a trouble, believe me,” George said.

“I was going to mobilize anyway, General. I promise I'll get your granddaughter and her friends out,” he said. “You have my word.”

“That's all you'll ever have to say to me, son. Good luck.”

“Thank you, General,” Douglas said, smiling. He ended the call and began dialing. If everything went as planned, he could have his force on the move within four hours.

 

Rio stood, clad in body armor, carrying a pair of massive duffel bags in her hands. “So you know right where they are?” She asked Rite.

The girl nodded. “I got the GPS marker from Alexia's sat phone. I couldn't call her but I could triangulate the address. I did some digging and found that the house was listed for sale. I found a virtual tour.” She brought up the basement. “This is a three-sixty view. I gotta figure they're down there.” She looked at Jemma. “Can you zap Rio there?”

Jemma looked at it. “It's tricky. I've never been there, so I have to be careful. I misjudge at all and we could materialize all Philadelphia Experiment. Be part of the walls and floor.”

“I trust you,” Rio said, smiling at her.

“I'll put us right here,” Jemma said, pointing toward the door to the outside. “I figure they'll wanna stay away from it but won't put anything there to bar the path in case they need to get out.”

“Why not just drop off outside?” Rite asked.

“People might see us and that would raise questions. The girls are trying to hide. They don't need that kind of advertisement.”

“That makes sense,” Rite said. “You have everything you need?”

“No. I don't have tanks, bomber planes, and attack helicopters,” Rio said. “But I've got what I can carry.”

“Good luck,” Rite said to her.

Tara pulled the woman in and kissed her passionately. “Please be careful and come back to me.”

“I will,” Rio said, returning the woman's embrace. She stepped back and looked to Jemma. “I'm ready.”

The girl took hold of her arm…and the pair vanished from sight.

Tara's stomach filled with lead. She turned to Rite. The girls stared into each other's eyes. All they could do was wait…and pray.


	22. Chapter 22

Alexia and Faith both sat up, keeping a watch over the sleeping crew. Last night had been hell for the girls of S3 dot com and Demon Queller.

Neo and Rain lay snuggled against each other on the sleeping bag against the wall. The twins were both out, back to back laying under the stairs. Quan snored loudly, laying on a pile of sleeping bags a couple of feet away.

Kat was still asleep on the futon mattress near them.

“Any idea what the hell we're gonna do?” Faith asked. “We can't handle this many vamps on our own.”

“I know,” Alexia said, rubbing her face in her hands. “I don't like the idea of having to leave a job unfinished but…we might not have a choice.”

“You think Cerri managed to get a shoutout?”

Alexia nodded. “I'm sure she did. The only problem is if anyone can actually get to us to help out.”

“I think…” Faith suddenly looked around. “Do you feel that?”

Alexia looked at her and felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. “Yeah. What is that?”

“Teleportation,” Kat said, sitting up. “Something's coming. Something  _powerful,_ ” She added nervously.

“They can use fucking  _magic_  now?” Faith asked, incredulously.

From nowhere, two figures appeared in the dim light of the basement, near the door to the outside. All three girls turned to the newest arrivals.

Rio, decked out in tactical body armor, draped with a large assault vest, stood regarding her girls with a look of anger, sadness, and pride. In her strong hands were two enormous duffel bags.

Jemma stood beside her, her own eyes scanning the group.

“Rio?” Alexia said, her voice almost failing her. She shot to her feet and ran to the woman, throwing her arms around her. “God, am I glad to see you.” Faith and Kat were right behind her.

“I'm sorry it took so long.” The woman said, hugging all three girls to her.

Faith turned and pulled Jemma in. “Thanks for the backup, half-pint.”

“It's the least I can do,” she said, returning the embrace.

“Hey!” Alexia shouted. “Everyone get up. We've got some backup.”

The girls in the room all startled awake. “What the fuck?” Neo said, sitting up and wiping her eyes. “Ow, shit,” she said, cupping her hand to her right eye. “Fuck, this shit hurts.”

Rain turned to look at her. “Careful,” she said. Looking intently at the wounds on her face. “You have to be careful not to reopen them.”

“No shit,” Neo said, hissing.

Rio looked at the girl. “Jemma? Do you know healing magic?”

The girl nodded and moved over, kneeling in front of Neo. “Can I heal you?”

Neo stared at the girl. “Who the fuck are you?”

“Just let her heal you, Neo,” Alexia said. “She's a friend.”

The potential looked at her and nodded. “If you can get me up to fighting weight, I'd appreciate it.”

Jemma reached out and rested her fingers gently against Neo's bruised and cut skin. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head. Suddenly her body began to jerk and writhe as if she was seizing.

“Shit!” Kat said, shooting from her seat. “Neo, don't touch her!” She dropped to her knees beside the pair. Rain wisely backed away.

“What's she doing?” Neo asked, scared.

“She's having a vision,” Kat said. “When I was up in Metaline, she took my hand and had one. This is what she did then. Give her a few seconds.” She looked at the potential's face. “Oh my God.”

“What?” Neo asked.

Kat looked at Rain. “You seein' this?” She pointed to the girl's eye.

Rain nodded. “Your face is completely healed. You can't even tell you were hurt.”

“Explains why it don't hurt no more.”

Everyone gathered around the girls and waited patiently. “That looks rather violent,” Rio said, softly.

Kat nodded. “It is,” she said, her voice hard. “God, she's so strong,” the tattooed girl added. “Her power is so far beyond mine, it isn't even funny.”

“That's fuckin' scary,” Faith said. Alexia nodded her agreement. They'd seen how far Kat had come in the past several months. Her magical strength was awesome. If what the girl said about Jemma was true then the girl wasn't just strong, she was  _biblical_.

“If she's that powerful why didn't the coven use her to break the spell instead of you?” Alexia asked.

Kat slowly turned to look at the slayer. Her eyes were filled with disappointment and disgust. “I can't believe I just heard those words come out of your mouth.”

Alexia suddenly felt stupid for asking the question. Jemma was a fourteen-year-old girl. Stronger or not, Kat would have never allowed such a thing. And Alexia quickly realized that. Even if Jemma could undo the spell, from everything that Kat told her, Kat wouldn't have let her try. She was willing to risk her own life but not anyone else's. “Right. Sorry.” She returned, sheepishly.

After an agonizing eternity, Jemma bonelessly fell away from Neo. Kat was there, catching her and cradling her against her chest.

As before, everyone held their breath as the petite girl lay breathing heavily, secure in Kat's strong arms. “Come on, Jemma,” Kat said, brushing the hair from her eyes. “Come back to us.”

A couple of minutes later, Jemma opened her eyes. Kat remembered before the wild and unfocused look within. Jemma stared at her. Kat could feel the girl in her mind. It wasn't the terrifying cold that Kane possessed. Jemma's mind was calm, soft and warm. It filled her with peace and joy. She could tell that whatever the girl saw had scared the shit out of her. She was reaching and drawing on Kat's skills of meditation and control. “Shh,” Kat said, holding her close. “You're safe. I got you.” After a full minute, Jemma gave her a soft smile. “That's what I wanted to see,” Kat said, smiling back. “You okay?”

Jemma sat up on her knees and nodded. She looked at Neo. “You are one scary ass woman, you know that?”

“Sorry. Didn't mean to fry your synapse,” Neo said. “Thanks for this,” she said, touching her cheek. Rain reached over and pulled the band-aids off.

“What did you see, dear?” Rio asked, kneeling down beside Jemma.

The girl swallowed. “Rage,” she said, looking at Neo. “You have so much  _rage_. You're angry all the time. How do you live with it?”

“By beating the ever loving shit out of just about everything I see,” Neo said. “It's been a part of me for so long, it's like my tits. Just there.” She shrugged, noncommittally.

Jemma turned to Kat. “I thought  _your_  control was impressive.” She turned to Rain. “But you…” She looked to Neo. “And you, I don't know. For some reason, she calms you down. You seem to wanna, I don't know, be the hero she sees you as. But you're afraid of something.” She shook her head. “I couldn't tell what it was,” she lied. The potentials looked at each other.

“Did you see anything else?” Kat asked her.

“Thunder. Thunder and fire.” Jemma furrowed her brow. “The ground, shaking.” She closed her eyes. “War. It's…” She looked at the girls. “There's a war coming. It's loud. There's screaming and pain. Anger and fury. I can't make sense of it.” She looked at Kat. “Someone is very sad. I sense disappointment and shame.”

“Who?” Alexia asked. “Who's disappointed?”

Jemma shook her head. “I can't tell. Like I said to Kat, I only see what they want me to see. And they're pricks.”

“Can you still teleport?” Kat asked her.

Jemma nodded. “I can. It's about all I have the strength for but I can manage it.”

“Good,” Neo said, hugging the girl to her. “Go. Shit's about to get real around here.”

“She's falling in love with you,” Jemma whispered softly into Neo's ear. “And I do know what you're afraid of. You're starting to feel the same.”

“You just had to say it.” Neo returned.

“Talia will understand.”

Neo pulled away, looking at her. “I like having my cake and eating it, too.”

Jemma thumbed back toward Kat. “We've seen it can work out if you're careful about it.”

“Something to work on. Now get the fuck outta here. We got a war to prepare for,” Neo said, smiling.

Everyone hugged the girl, thanking her for everything she'd done. “Good luck,” Jemma said, looking at all of them. “Come home to us,” she added before disappearing in a flash.

“Rain? This is mine and Faith's Watcher Ariana Braxton,” Alexia said, indicating the tall busty woman.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Rain. Please, call me Rio,” the woman said, taking her hand.

“She's a potential,” Neo said, draping her arm over the girl's shoulder. “And she can lay it down, believe me. Wicked undertrained but she's been holding her own.”

“Well, isn't that interesting,” Rio said.

The twins began sifting through the duffel bags that Rio had brought with her. The first was filled with four crossbows and a plethora of arrows for them. In the bottom of the bag was a large compound bow. As well as bandoliers filled with stakes. The second bag, much to the girl's surprise was loaded with a wide mix of items. Not the least of which were a dozen of the small silver spheres that were gifts from Panzer. “Nice,” Sadiira said, lifting one of them. She turned to Rio. “If I didn't know your fiancé was the jealous type, I'd kiss you right now.”

Rio smiled and stepped over with the rest of the team. “I brought everything he left us. We were saving it for a rainy day.”

“It's getting dark,” Quan said, pointing to the windows.

“Why don't we try making a run for it?” Rain asked. “Get out of town before they find us?”

As she spoke the words, Alexia's face fell. She turned to Faith. She could tell that her fellow slayer could feel it, too. “Too late.”

Rio moved over and pulled the corner of the newspaper away. The sun had dipped below the western horizon…and vampires were already surrounding the house. “That is a  _lot_  of vampires,” she said, fear in her voice.

Sadiira and Nadiira began handing out crossbows. Rio checked the action and loaded it. Rain took the one that was shoved into her hands. She shook her head and pointed to the bow. “Hand me that.”

Faith lifted it and looked at her. “You know how to use this?”

“Every summer I'd go bow hunting with my dad in the mountains.” She took the bow as Faith handed it to her. “I'm the current San Bernardino County Archery Champion,” Rain said, checking the bow over. “This is really nice.”

“It'll put an arrow through a cinder block,” Faith said.

Rain drew the string back and hand to grunt to do so. “Christ.”

Alexia pulled another machete from the bag and strapped it on. With her strength and agility, she could go two weapons if need be. She wasn't as skilled at it as Faith and Kat but if she needed to she could. And she was definitely going to need to. She looked up at Neo who was likewise strapping two blades across her back. “I thought you didn't like to use blades. Thought you were a fist and feet girl.”

Neo looked at her. “Normally, you'd be right. But today, well, I decided I got shit to live for.” She looked at Rain. “And someone's gotta watch potential junior's back here.”

Rain smiled and looked at Alexia. “Couldn't ask for a better bodyguard, I think.”

Faith furrowed her brow and looked around. “Does anyone else feel that?”

Alexia knelt and pressed her hand to the cement floor. “Vibration,” she said. “The ground is shaking.”

“Then comes the thunder and the fire,” Neo said, looking at the girls. “A warning to the people, the good and the evil. This is war.”

“To the soldier, the civilian, the martyr, the victim. This is war,” Quan said, stepping up to Neo, taking her hand.

“It's the moment of truth and the moment to lie. The moment to live and the moment to die,” Sadiira said, resting her hand atop the others.

“The moment to fight,” Nadiira said setting her hand on her sisters. “This is war.”

Alexia smiled and nodded. “Good song.”

Rain saw the girls standing proud. All of them had smiles on their faces. This was their element. Faced with death on all sides, they'd all accepted it. The pale horse was at their door, upon him was death and hell indeed followed with him. But those gathered before her now would not go gentle into that good night. They were going to fight with every breath in their bodies. The horde that gathered would pay in blood for their victory. Before the warriors fell, they would make a statement. They would leave behind a legacy that would inspire others of their breed. Hunters the world over, the slayers to follow would hopefully see what transpired tonight and find hope in a hopeless fight.

Suddenly, an explosion shook the house to its very foundation. “Holy fucking shit!” Faith shot out, staggering. Debris smacked the walls of the dwelling. “What the hell was that?” She asked.

Everyone was looking around, with the exception of two. The twins looked at each other with wide grins on their faces. “Rolling thunder,” Sadiira said.

All eyes turned to the pair. “You know what that was, don't you?” Alexia asked.

“Seems someone got our shoutout,” Sadiira said. “The hounds of hell fear only one thing.”

“The fury of Gods own thunder,” Nadiira said.

Rain ran to the window and peeked out. “Oh. My. God.” She turned back to the girls. “You are  _not_  going to believe this.”

 

Admiral Jonathan Danforth walked down the sterile white hallway, looking over the information on the clipboard he carried. He casually looked into the laboratories to his left and right. A few sat empty but most were occupied. Various supernatural beasts lay on the tables, surrounded by a host of scientists and physicians.

“Admiral Danforth, call holding on priority line Alpha. Repeat, call holding on priority line Alpha.” A calm female voice called over the PA system.

He stopped in his tracks and looked up at the ceiling. There was only one man that called on the Alpha line. Danforth trotted back to his office. He shut the door and locked it before settling behind his desk. He swallowed and lifted the phone and pushed the blinking light. “Danforth.”

“Admiral.” A deep droning voice offered.

Danforth knew the voice and the man it belonged to. “Mr. Secretary,” he said. “You needed to speak with me?”

“No. I have someone else that wants to speak with you.”

“Admiral Danforth.” Another voice spoke up. “I've heard a lot about you. My Secretary of Defense holds you in pretty high esteem.”

“Sir,” Danforth said. It was the only thing he knew to say when one was speaking to the President. “I appreciate his confidence sir.”

“I've been looking over your organization,” the Commander-in-Chief said. “I must say, I'm rather intrigued. State of the art facility and technology, the brightest minds in their fields and training second to none.”

“Thank you, sir. We strive for the best possible results. And it's good to see the government taking the supernatural threat so seriously.”

“Threats to the nation come in all shapes and sizes, Admiral,” President Obama offered. “It says here that, all told, you have eleven thousand special operations agents at your disposal. Able to be deployed at a moment's notice. Is that figure accurate?”

“For the most part, sir. Twenty-two hundred are still in the midst of training,” Danforth said, not sure where the man was going with this.

“So eight thousand eight hundred ready to fight.”

“That's correct, sir.”

“And these men have specific training for dealing with Hostile Trans Dimensionals, is that also accurate?”

“It is, sir. They're taught how to combat and eliminate such threats.”

“That's what I thought. So fighting these creatures is the province of your division, Admiral and not the job of the standing military, is that also correct?”

“That's right, sir.” Danforth was getting worried.

“Have you been watching the S3 dot com website in the past twenty-four hours, Admiral?” Obama asked him.

Danforth knew, from what he'd seen that the President was actually of a fan of the girls. He'd even gone so far as posting a rather humorous video on the site. “No, sir. I haven't had time to check in on them.” He quickly did so. His heart sank. “Oh, my God.”

“I thought that might catch your attention.”

“I can have a team prepped and there within six hours.”

“It's a little too late for that, Admiral.” The President no longer sounded happy. “As of seventeen hundred, fifty hours, Pacific standard time, the entirety of the Apple Valley National Guard station mobilized and made a beeline straight for Victorville California.”

“I…I don't know what to say, sir.”

“Apparently the operation was approved by retired General George Pierce.”

“Christ,” Danforth said, massaging the bridge of his nose. “I am sorry, sir. I've been trying to get…”

“Oversight to deal with the issues with the Sunnydale branch of your organization. Yes, I know,” Obama said. “You're going to be granted it. I want it dealt with swiftly and decisively, Admiral.”

“I've actually got someone in place to do just that,” Danforth said. “She's a rather valuable asset.”

“Then I'm leaving that in your hands, Admiral. But I'm still not happy about my Army soldiers going head to head with an army of vampires. That's  _your_ job, Danforth and you have free reign to deal with any supernatural threats as you fit. Up to and including full deployment.”

“I wasn't apprised of how bad the situation was in Victorville, sir,” Danforth said, shaking his head. He'd royally screwed the pooch this time around. He had an intelligence network from hell but sadly, they couldn't tell him everything. And vampires, especially old and powerful vampires knew how not to be found. But that didn't excuse the fact that, as someone that was supposed to have his finger on the pulse of the supernatural and was the leading expert on them in the whole of the American military complex…President Obama had figured out how badly the shit had hit the fan before he had. “I have no excuse, sir. I take full responsibility. I should have known and I didn't.”

“Yeah, you really should have.” He let out a breath. “What's done is done. I'm putting out the official story as an urban training exercise. Given that the people of Victorville are terrified of what's been feeding on their town, they'll appreciate a good, solid show of force.”

“I appreciate that sir.”

“Don't let this happen again. Your agency gets plenty of financial backing to prevent this kind of mistake.”

“I understand sir. What would you like me to do?”

“Get in touch with Command Sergeant Major Travis. He's in charge of the force there. Run strategy with him. Make sure they understand what they're dealing with. Since you can't give them any troop support at this point, at least you can give them the rundown on how to fight these damn things.”

“I will, sir,” Danforth said. He bit his lip and nodded. “As a thank you for what the girls are doing, what they have done…”

“I know exactly what they want. I'll take care of it,” Obama said. “For the hell, they've gone through and what they've done for the people of this country, they deserve it.”

“Yes, sir,” Danforth said, nodding. After the President hung up, he leaned back in his chair. He rose to his feet and headed for the tactical center of the Initiative compound.

The room was a sea of technology. Engineers and communications staff sat at various stations, working away. He moved over and lifted a headset and settled it over his head. “Alright. We've got a ballgame. Lieutenant Hauser, give me eyes on the Victorville, California area. Private Marsh, get me in touch with Command Sergeant Major Travis on Tac one. Put it through to me.”

He watched as the main screen showed a satellite image in real time of the small California town. “Christ,” he said as she saw the column of vehicles. “It's gonna be one hell of a night.”

“This is Command Sergeant Major Travis. Who am I talking to?”

“This is Admiral Jonathan Danforth. And you're in for a very hard time, Sergeant,” Danforth began. “You know what you're dealing with?”

“Vampires,” the man returned. “We've got flame units, and shotguns loaded with flechette rounds.”

“You  _do_  know what you're doing,” Danforth said, smiling. “Then let's have some fun, Sergeant.”

“Way ahead of you, sir.”


	23. Chapter 23

Alexia stepped over to the window and tore the newspaper off. She peered into the darkness. Vampires were everywhere. Not just dozens - _hundreds_. Plural. It was the most vampires she'd ever seen or even read about in one place. And they were there for the lot of them. She gazed about. “What did you see?” She asked Rain.

The girl pointed to the east. “Out there, along the road.” As Alexia turned to look, Rain was smiling. “You see it?”

The slayer strained but saw it she did. Silhouetted against a pink sunset sky…was the bulk of the most devastating machine ever to touch solid earth. The Abrams M1A1 Main Battle Tank was a force of nature that knew no equal. “Big…fucking…gun,” she said, grinning and giggling like a school girl. She began cackling madly when a thunderous report stung her sensitive ears. Fire belched ten feet from the end of the massive 120-millimeter cannon, rocking the tremendous vehicle as it raced full speed toward them.

The shell impacted several feet from the house. Vampires were shredded, while others were thrown into the air like ragdolls. She grabbed Rain and ducked as the windows blew out, showering them with shattered glass.

“What's going on?” Faith asked.

“Fuckin'  _tanks_!” Alexia said, her voice almost shrill with excitement. “It's the fucking army!”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Faith said, running over to the window.

“Holy shit,” Kat said, stepping up beside her loves. “That's a fucking Abrams. That's  _a lot_  of Abrams.” One thousand seven hundred and thirty-six tons of American heavy metal thundered toward them, the vanguard of a column that defined the phrase 'overwhelming firepower'. Tears actually began forming. The sight was glorious. Absolutely glorious. “Nothing I see in my life will ever be as awesome as this,” she said, whimsically.

“Everyone, turn your cameras on,” Alexia said, rising back to her feet. “We  _cannot_  miss this.”

The tanks, twenty-eight in all, came to a stop, in staggered positions…and unleashed hell. Fire lit the night up like day. The rapid  _boom – boom – boom_ of the main guns caused the girl's teeth to rattle. The twins giggled. “Anti-personnel rounds,” Sadiira said, looking at the girls. “Think of it as a shotgun shell, filled with double-ought-buck.”

“Three feet long and as big around as Quan's thigh,” Nadiira added.

As the shells crashed to the ground, spraying vampires all over the place, the girls saw firsthand how devastating the rounds could be. And the skill of the tank crews was legendary. They attacked with nail driving accuracy.

“Greatest tank battles,” Kat said, grinning. She looked at the twins. “Battle of 73 Easting,” she said.

Tanks, however, weren't the only military iron to join the fight. The imposing eight-wheeled Strykers rolled up beside the tanks, unloading shot after shot of the heavy .50 caliber Protector M151 machine guns. The vibration of the guns going full tilt reverberated in the girl's chests.

Vampires were blasted apart. Limbs flew off in every direction. Blood and gore sprayed the ground, slickening the gravel and pavement. It was as if they were being hacked down by a giant buzzsaw.

The faces of the soldiers were stone. They were there for one purpose and one purpose only. Destroy the enemy. Insurgents on a distant battlefield or an army of vampires. It didn't matter to them. Years of training, experience and billions of dollars spent on technology and weaponry…had came down to this.

All the girls could do was watch…in horror, fascination, elation, if there was an emotion, they were experiencing it at that moment. Heaven and Hell warred before their very eyes.

Vampires were a very, very dangerous threat. They were the stuff of nightmares as far back as mankind could dream. The earliest of those that walked upon the land, understood that the dark held danger. There was a reason people feared the coming of night. And that reason had a name.

But in this, the time of the vampire, the time of the supernatural and paranormal, something more ferocious had challenged. No, not challenged; _Dominated_. The display before them proved that, to the right force, with the right tools, that the night was not the time of the monster and the beast.

Tonight, it was the time…of the American soldier. Fighting men all that had had enough. They were warriors the same as the girls that watched them.

Alexia let out a sob. Tears flowed down her cheeks. The Initiative aside, she thought, sadly that the battlefield of the slayer and that of the soldier would forever be mutually exclusive. No longer did that thought permeate. She was crying. Kat and Faith both rested their hands on her shoulder. As she looked at them, she could see they, like her…were overcome with emotion. All of the gathered fighters were.

Minutes ago, they thought –  _knew_  – they were going to die. Alexia had accepted that she'd never see her family again. She'd never free run again.

Now, she knew different. They were going to make it.

“That's not good,” Neo said, pointing. “The vamps are swarming the tanks and Strykers.”

“For all the good it'll do them,” Sadiira said.

“Even a vampire isn't strong enough to rip open the hatch of a Stryker or an Abrams. Don't care how fuckin' old they are.” Kat offered, grinning.

“Come on,” Alexia said, wiping her eyes. “Time for us to get involved,” she said, turning toward the door that led outside. The massive 120 mm smoothbore cannons on the tanks had stopped firing. But the .50 caliber machine guns continued to cut the monsters down. Normally, bullets wouldn't kill vampires, that much was true.

Whoever, or whatever made that rule didn't foresee the weapons systems able to fire bullets capable of punching through plate steel at a rate of twelve hundred rounds per minute. As resistant as the undead were to weapons fire, the machine guns of the United States Army were getting the better of the exchange.

But the vampires were many and they sought to use their numbers.

Quan was the first one out. She ran full speed, shoving her massive arms in front of her. The basement door exploded outward, sending wood splinters in every direction.

Alexia, Faith, and Neo were the first wave, pulling their blades and readying for the fight. Quan and Kat came next. Rain, Rio, and the twins stayed back as they decided to cover the rest of them with arrows.

Secretly, the girls were worried. The soldiers were going to try their very beast but these were vampires. Now that the initial shock of seeing the ground-pounding tanks had worn off, the vampires were rallying quickly. They stormed toward the vehicles, their faces twisted into the animalistic visage of their breed.

With their supernatural speed and strength, the bullets of most standard issue weapons would do little good. Understanding this, the tank crews quickly buttoned down.

A dozen Bradley Fighting Vehicles raced forward, sliding to a stop. A squad of six men emerged from each track, seventy-two soldiers in all. All of them armed with what looked like…

“Holy mother of God,” Rio said, stunned.

The vampires screamed and hissed as the newest group of soldiers, each carrying flamethrowers, attacked. The beasts had rushed and jumped onto the tanks, trying desperately to gain access.

From the distance they were at, the girls could hear the men inside the huge machines laughing. The vampires retreated quickly as fire arced toward them. The men within the armored juggernauts had little to fear from the flames. But fire was a bane to the undead existence. The soldiers stayed in formation, sweeping their weapons back and forth, engulfing one vampire after another. It was a terrible way to die but these were predators looking to do nothing but kill and maim. They would see no mercy this day. Half of the flame units unleashed a burst, then stepped back to let another team take up. They staggered this way, firing and allowing their weapons to cool, before firing again.

At this point, the vamps scattered, running for their lives.

Right into the girls' waiting arms. It was open season, now and all of them were going to take advantage. Payback was coming and they planned to collect in spades.

Rain drew back the string of her bow and let fly. She took a knee stabilizing herself and aimed as quickly as she could. She was taking out vampires with every shot. Her mind concentrated on the process; Aim, fire. Aim, fire. One thing she did extremely well, was shoot. She'd been using a bow since she was old enough to walk. Thanks to her father, she'd long since mastered it. But she never, in a million years, thought it would be anything but a recreational activity.

Even after the vampires began turning Victorville into a buffet, she hadn't thought to do as she was doing now. She felt a pang of shame and sadness that it took  _this_ to make her realize that her skills with a bow…could save lives. “Better late than never,” she said as she went back to it.

The twins both hurled the silver spheres. The globes smacked into vampires left and right. Once they hit, they burst open, trapping the undead beasts in a fine mesh of razor-sharp titanium. In seconds, a small but powerful servo inside, caused the net to constrict. Five seconds was all it took for a vampire to be shredded by the brutal contraption. The beauty of the devices was that they were reusable. Much to the vampire's dismay.

Rio kept her cool. She'd been here before. She spent eight years as part of the Watcher's Council Black Books team. Before she ever became a full Watcher to the slayer, she'd been fighting the supernatural. And she used that experience now. She fired, quickly reloaded and fired again. Her motions were smooth and precise, making sure that her slayers didn't get overwhelmed.

Alexia, Faith, and Neo engaged the vampires up close and cut them down like they were scything wheatgrass. All thoughts of style and flourish had flown. It wasn't about looking good anymore. Not tonight. It wasn't pretty, it wasn't finessed. It was slaughter.

Alexia moved from one vampire to another. Her lightning speed, she used to her advantage. Her blades hacked and chopped. She had little actual  _skill_ using two weapons at once. She recognized the need for it here and was effective, if sloppy. A hand closed around her throat from behind. She spun the blade and rammed it backward, scoring a solid hit to the demon behind her. As he released his hold, she spun taking his head. She was on to another beast before he'd fallen to the ground.

Faith had her Gladius in her right hand and her Bowie in her left. She was a whirlwind of steel and dust. She cut and slashed, much like Alexia. She was by no means glamorous but she got the job done. Vampires fell and were replaced by more. It was a madhouse of chaos and blood. And she waded through, slashing and cutting. Normally, slaying was what made her happy. Killing vampires took her to a happy place. But not tonight. She just wanted to survive the night. She just hoped that her brutality and strength would be enough.

Where Alexia was all speed, and Faith was a showcase of strength, Neo, having trained with every manner of weapon she could get her hands on, moved like a dancer. Her twin machetes carved gossamer patterns in the air as she spun, dipped and twirled taking vampires apart with a grace that seemed all out of character for the terrifying potential. Yes, she preferred the raw, bone-crunching struggle of fist on skin contact, to look her enemies in the eye and see their realization that no matter how evil, how  _monstrous_  they tried to be, she was worse. That was her chosen method of combating the demon menace. At this moment, in this place, she wasn't afforded such luxuries. She was a different girl, now. She wasn't the Predator of Portland, she wasn't Neo Knight. Now, she was simply Alice Frog. Daughter of vampire hunter Edgar Frog, potential slayer. Her face didn't hold the tinge of joy that it often did. She was a killing machine, fighting for hers, indeed all of the girls' very survival. Nothing more, nothing less.

Rain kept her eye on the girl and was incredibly impressed. There was a reason that Neo was her favorite of the site's hunters.

Quan waded through, whipping her blades about, carving vampires down the middle, splitting them like cordwood. She spun taking another across the waist, severing him in two. She felt a vampire leap onto her back. She snapped her head back, bashing him in the face. He then exploded as a crossbow arrow impacted his back. She ignored him and moved on. There were plenty of other demons and she wanted desperately to make the sons of bitches pay for blowing up her truck and her bass. Just thinking about what she'd lost fueled her rage. She went at the beasts with redoubled fury.

Kat wished desperately that she was somewhere else. She fought hard, burning a vampire down with one spell, cutting down another. She threw her open palm toward a group of three vamps, stopping them in their tracks. She rushed past them, cutting their heads free before moving on. She tried desperately to pace herself.

Having thrown the last of Panzer's insidious net-orbs, the twins took up their crossbows. With careful aim, they began dropping a vampire with every bolt. They were expert marksmen and didn't miss. It wasn't in their nature.

The vampires didn't know where to turn. The soldiers, largely remained tucked safely away in their metal fortresses, cutting them down with heavy machine gun fire.

Inevitably, the flame thrower units, after having a devastating effect, ran dry. The vampire force had been cut in half, if not worse. As the men with the now empty flamethrowers retreated, the vampires attacked. And, as before, they were surprised to learn that the soldiers were prepared. The men dropped the tanks and whipped free their second line of defense.

From the concealment of the surrounding buildings, other soldiers emerged. Now outnumbering the vampires over three to one, they fearlessly brought the fight to the demons. The night was shattered by the jackhammer sounds of hundreds upon hundreds of shotgun blasts. The flechette rounds did as they were designed to do. Holes the size of tennis balls were being blasted through the demons. Knowing that a center mass shot would do nothing, the boys in green put each round into the vampire's faces. One shot could sever a monster's head. Two shots would blow their heads apart, sending the body to the ground and the demon within back to hell. It took a crack shot to be a dead bull with a shotgun.

As luck would have it, the US Army trained  _all_  their soldiers to be  _that_  good a shot. And it showed as the creatures were being dusted all across the battlefield.

As their brothers in arms engaged, the men on the armored vehicles still raked the undead beasts with the heavy machine guns when they had a shot. Each of them was under orders to keep clear of the girls. The Sergeant Major had briefed them all on who the girls were and what they meant. And every one of them would see to it that if the girls were to ride with the ferryman, they would have company. Soldiers in America looked after their own. And tonight, the girls of S3 dot com and Demon Queller were just that. Soldiers.

Alexia bore down on a vampire, leaping onto him as he tried to run. She drew back to ram her sword into his chest. He gripped her wrist, holding her fast. She growled, pushing with everything she had. Suddenly a bullet blasted his arm off at the elbow and the teen's magical blade pierced his heart, dusting him. She turned to look. One of the gunners manning the .50 cal on the tank closest to her nodded and offered a quick salute. She stood and returned it, smiling brightly.

The huge gun of the tank next to her went off. She was staggered backward, barely keeping her feet. She turned just in time to see a crimson vapor hanging in the air and a black Doc Marten boot bouncing along the ground. “Fuck yeah,” she said, pumping her fist in the air. She was facing the armored Goliath when it went off and knew that she caught the blast up close. “Our subscribership just quadrupled,” she said, grinning.

Faith struggled with a huge vampire. He was strong but slow. She caught him across the teeth with a hard right cross and spun kicked him to the ground. She'd dropped both her blades in the fight. “Hey!” She heard someone shout. She turned to see one of the soldiers looking at her from the top of the tank. He pointed to the vampire and the tank gun. She gripped the demon by his hair and his belt and turned, throwing him into the air toward the huge cannon. As he was airborne, the tank fired. The demon was blown to nothing more than a crimson haze. She grabbed her blades, ran over and kissed the front of the tank. Then she stepped back and blew the tank commander a kiss. He pretended to catch it and stuff it into the front of his pants.  _Now_ , she was in her happy place.

Kat threw her hands out, losing fire and lightning. She felt the  _whoosh_  of a vampire getting dusted behind her. She cast a look over her shoulder and saw Rain nod, before taking a bead on another vampire. She chuckled and went back to work. She scooped up one of the fallen globes and chucked it at the vampire coming at her. It hit him in the chest and tore him apart. She ran and leaped through him, ramming her machete into the chest of another. As they went down, she dragged her other blade across his neck.

Neo was stone-faced as she fought. She could feel fatigue pulling at her but she summarily ignored it. She wasn't a slayer, at least not in the physical sense but she was no less dangerous. And she proved that now. She couldn't help but giggle. As a pair of vampires came at her, she went wild with her blades. “With a swing, chop, stab, swing, chop. You're holding your neck together but your nuts drop,” she said as she struck. Her weapons tore the demons apart in rapid succession. She was on to another opponent before the pair had fully disintegrated.

Quan kept moving, keeping from being surrounded. Her own swords were flashing, carving vampires down as they tried to bring her down. She loosed a hard backswing, catching a vampire across the chest, sending him bouncing away. But the strike cost her. A vamp caught her wrist and wrestled her blade free. She hammer-fisted him so hard, his neck shattered and his skull split like a melon under a sledge. She grabbed his arm and swung him like a club into the other vampires around her. She'd been trying to pace herself. She didn't want to burn herself out but as she looked around at the vampires rising to their feet, she shook her head. “Alright, boys. You want me?” She growled and activated every tattoo she had. “Bring it on, you sons a' bitches!”

“Oh, no,” Sadiira said, looking over at Quan.

“Shit.” Her sister offered.

Rain followed their eyes. “What?” She asked, looking at Quan. She saw the woman grip a vampire by the throat and lift him effortlessly into the air, take hold of his thigh and bring him down across her knee. She heard the resulting  _crack_  over the sounds of battle. “Jesus Christ.”

“She's going full out,” Sadiira said. She shook her head. “She's gonna kill herself.”

“Trust her,” Rain said, shaking her head and drawing down on another vampire. “She knows what she's doing.”

Quan knew she didn't have a lot of time but she was going to make it count. With the level of power she had at this moment, she was able to rip vampires apart with her bare hands, evidenced as she wrapped her thick arm around the demon in front of her and using her other hand to pull his head free of his shoulders. She threw the beast aside, his head bouncing against the dirt as his body slid in the gravel. Her heart thundered in her chest. Her body thrummed. The countdown had begun.

The fighting had moved into close quarters. The soldiers of the United States Army were no strangers to such things. They fired their shotguns until they clicked empty then fell back as their brothers in arms took up, firing their weapons while the rest reloaded. It was a classic tactic that saw victory in many a hot theater.

The vampires, simply put, were  _not_  ready for this. It was known that little could truly destroy them. It was  _believed_  that they were immortal. But they were learning differently. They attacked the men, claiming a few but they were like animals, these men. They were a pack. Wolves that knew each other and used numbers to their advantage. Their weapons seemed to be designed to destroy the undead. The vampires had nothing they could do that could threaten this lot. The men they fought were armored and prepared. It was enough to put the fear of God into the demon-possessed horde.

Alexia took a blow to the face and removed the arm that was attached to the fist. She then cut the head off the possessor of the arm. She'd taken a hell of a lot of punishment over the past twenty-four hours. She was fatigued beyond belief and could feel herself getting faint. She'd never,  _ever_  fought so hard for so long. Blood caked her thick wavy hair. The pain made it hard to breathe. The smoke and stench of automatic weapons fire choked her and stung her lungs as she breathed.

As she looked about the battlefield, she could see that the soldiers were holding their own but there had been casualties. Bodies of soldiers lay on the ground, necks broken, throats torn out. The thought made her angry. Men had lain down their lives for her. For  _them_.

She was heartened, however, to see that her girls were still up and fighting. The vampire horde had dwindled to almost nothing. She took a moment and did an inventory of her sisters in arms. Kat was holding her right arm close to her. Blood saturated the sleeve. Her face was a mask of pain. She knew that it was years of training that kept the girl going. Kat hacked a vampire down with her blade. A pair of undead were boring down on the tattooed fighter. Alexia was ready to shout a warning when the two beasts were blown away as .50 cal rounds blasted their heads into nothing.

She tore her eyes from Kat and looked to Rain, the twins, and Rio. They were now in close quarters as well. She was somewhat surprised to see the twins each armed with a machete holding their own.

Rio carried, not her Kalli sticks, as Alexia would have thought but a pair of Kama. And she was bloody  _good_ with them. The blades were obviously razor sharp and vicious as hell. The ends of each were sharpened into stakes. “Never would have thought of that,” Alexia said, nodding. She was removing limbs and stabbing vampires left and right. It was extremely intelligent for Rio. She was the oldest of them and completely human. Unlike Kat, who had magic, and Neo who had youth, Rio had experience. She was using light weapons and training to win the day. And she was doing a marvelous job of it.

Rain was between the three of them, firing her bow so fast that Alexia was steadfastly shocked. The girl  _had_  to be firing blind. It seemed almost like she wasn't even looking at her targets.

Neo looked like she was on the set of a Chinese Chop-socky flick for all the damage she was doing. Her blades never stopped moving. As Alexia watched her, the question that everyone secretly had been asking was answered. If it came down to swords…Neo would kick Kat's ass. Heads flew and dropped as the girl moved.

But of them all, Quan impressed her the most. She'd only heard that the girl could unleash all of her power at once. She'd never had the occasion to witness it. Now, she was almost afraid. The big woman looked none the worse for wear. She was bruised a bit but was fighting like a kung-fu Grizzly on steroids. She gripped a vampire by the throat, took hold of the front of his pants and heaved him into the air, slamming him back first against the barrel of the massive tank's cannon. The vampire broke in half, screaming. She then took him and rammed him head first into the end of the barrel.

As soon as she was clear, the tank fired. The vampire was a memory. She patted the huge machine and turned to find another victim.

Alexia looked up as she saw two news helicopters flying about. She chuckled and shook her head. “I'm so gonna want this footage,” she said, waving to the choppers.

Command Sergeant Major Douglas Travis dropped to the ground beside the massive Abrams tank, with his shotgun in his hand. He drew a bead and fired, blowing a vampire's head clean off, dusting him. He took aim at a second and again squeezed the trigger. As the monster disappeared, he walked past, reloading. He worked his way across the battlefield, replacing shells as he expended them if he could. He was looking for someone specific.

A vampire hissed and leaped at him, bearing him to the ground. He managed to turn as he went down. He had his shotgun pressed against the demon's chest, keeping him at bay. The supernatural killer took the weapon and threw it aside. “What are you gonna do now, old man?” The vampire said, grinning at him.

Doug drilled the vampire across the teeth. His fist felt like it was going to break. The demon's head was thrown to the side. He turned back, unfazed. “Nice try,” he said, going in for the kill. The aging warrior couldn't hope to match the vampire's strength, despite being in very good shape. Suddenly the vampire exploded into dust, covering him. He closed his eyes and spat. His mouth was open. He then opened his eyes…

To see a tall teenage girl dressed in body armor, wearing an assault vest…over a charcoal gray hoodie. She slapped the compound bow she was carrying into her left hand and offered him her right, with a soft smile. He took it and let her help him to his feet. “Thanks,” he said, smiling to her.

“You're welcome, Sergeant,” Rain said, she pushed him aside, snatching an arrow from her back and firing. He turned to see the arrow hit home, dusting yet another vampire. “As you were, soldier,” she said to him, still smiling.

He retrieved his shotgun and went back to it. He saw who he was looking for and nodded. A vampire ran up to him, roaring in rage. He took a step and thrust his arm out, ramming the shotgun into the vampire's mouth. He squeezed the trigger, blowing the beasts head open. He closed in and put a boot to the demon's gut, pumped his weapon and pressed the barrel against the vampire's throat, firing again. The round blew the creature's head off, dusting him swiftly.

Alexia heard the blast and turned to see a rather large elder man coming toward her carrying a shotgun. He reloaded as he walked. “You Alexia Norwood-Pierce?” He asked. She nodded, stunned that he knew her name. “Command Sergeant Major Douglas Travis, United States Army. Your grandfather says hi.”

“My grandpa sent you?” She asked. Without looking, she snatched a stake from her belt and threw it to the left, taking a vampire through the heart. Doug leveled his shotgun and fired. The shell blew the vampire's head into paste, sending him to the ground in a pile of dust.

“That and my son convinced me that we're both on the same side, me and you.” He offered his hand. “One soldier to another.”

She took it and stared at him. “Thank you, Command Sergeant Major. If not for you, we'd be dead.”

“I know, darlin',” he said. “I'm just sorry we couldn't have acted sooner.”

As they looked about, none of the vampires remained to carry on the fight. The town of Victorville was free of the menace.

Rain stood, looking out over the field. She was breathing heavily. Her arms ached. Her fingers bled where the string of the bow was starting to cut into them. “It's over,” she said, her voice soft.

Neo stepped up beside her. “You did good,” the potential said to her. “I'm impressed.” She pointed to the ground and the piles of dust. “Lot of these were yours.”

Rain looked at her. “Thanks.”

Neo leaned in and kissed her. “Definitely born again hard. Now come on. Let's pitch clean up.”

The girls were moving around, staking the vampires that were mutilated by bullet fire or immolated by flame but managed to survive. Amid the screaming, they were doing the demons a kindness. After the deed was done, the girls were looked after by a group of combat medics.

“There's gonna be hell to pay for you guys doing this, Sergeant,” Alexia said, looking around.

“Not really, no,” he said, grinning. “Your friend Danforth called me.” The group gathered around him. “Let's get you girls cleaned up and fed, shall we?”

Alexia looked to her fellow hunters. They were tired, sore, and in desperate need of some rest. She nodded. “We'd appreciate it.”

“I got a question for you,” he said, looking down at them. “Any of you ever ridden in a tank before?”

“I can't say as we have,” Rio said, looking at everyone. Even the twins shook their heads.

“Want to?” he asked. “Have more power between your legs that you ever thought possible?”

“I think I just came in my pants a little,” Neo said, grinning.

The girls were allowed the cruise in style within the bowels of the tanks. None of them could stop giggling all the way back to the base.

Of the eight hundred troops that rode to the girl's rescue, seventeen were dead. Alexia was plain out and out _stunned_  that every single one of them had volunteered to come and get them. A Chinook Helicopter landed and loaded the bodies of the fallen brave.

The girls stood and watched with the rest of the base as the dead were carried past. Alexia couldn't help but feel responsible for their deaths. “Sergeant?” she asked him. “Did any of these men have families?” she asked, refusing to look away.

“Most, yeah,” he said, sadly.

“Will they be taken care of?” she asked.

“They died in the line,” he said, nodding.

“Whatever the government gives them, I wanna know. My website's gonna match it,” she said, turning back to the body bags. “These men are dead because of me. Because of  _us_. I'm not gonna let their families suffer for it.”

“They were soldiers, Alexia,” he said, resting a hand on her shoulder. “They died for something they believed in.”

“Yeah,” she said. “That's real comforting.” She looked at him. “But that isn't gonna keep their wives warm at night. That's not gonna mean shit to the children that have to grow up without their fathers.”

He could see the tears in her eyes. He pulled her in and hugged her. “No, it isn't.”

“I don't like people dying for me,” she said, crying into his fatigues.

He didn't say anything, because there was nothing  _to_  say. This wasn't her fault. And while she was right, she didn't understand the mindset of the  _true_ American soldier. They had much in common with the warriors of old. They would fight and die with no regrets for their country.

The girls were given a small house on the base to recuperate. Extra beds had been brought in to make them comfortable.

Rain, Rio, and the twins were completely unscathed. Alexia suffered a broken nose and a bruised cheekbone. Faith had two broken ribs and a dislocated finger but she would be fine. Neo had fractured six bones in her hand but wouldn't need surgery. Quan's injuries weren't severe but she'd suffered terribly for going what the girls in the band all called 'Full Hulk'. Now, she was passed out on the bed and wouldn't be conscious for at least forty-eight hours.

Kat, however, had suffered the worst. Her right arm had nearly been torn off. She suffered a compound twisting fracture of the joint. The medics set it and did their best to make her comfortable. Rio had used every bit of magic she had to heal the rather vicious injury and knocked herself out in the process. Kat was still in a hell of a lot of pain. Alexia had forced her to take two of the Oxycontin pills Joyce had given her. The teen had taken to carrying them with her everywhere. The girl had finally managed to fall asleep.

The twins, feeling safe for the first time in two days, had passed out.

Alexia and Faith, while tired, were still too wired to sleep. They sat up in the living room with Neo and Rain, eating the pizza that was delivered out of the blue.

The telephone rang. Alexia reached over and picked it up. “Hello?”

“Alexia,” Danforth said. “How are you all doing?”

“We're alive,” she said. “That's something.”

“I wanted to apologize to the lot of you. I should have sent you help.” He sighed. “I didn't see your shoutout in time.”

“You have an entire organization to run,” Alexia said. “It probably didn't even occur to Rite to call you.”

“Still,” he said. “I um…I got chewed out by the Commander-in-Chief over this.”

“The President balled you out?” Alexia said, grinning. The girls all looked at her.

“Yes, he did. He okayed what the boys did over there. They're gonna be cleared.”

“That's good. I don't want anyone getting in trouble for us,” Alexia said. “What's the official story?”

“Urban training mission,” Danforth said. “That's what we're telling the news at any rate. The people of Victorville, I'm betting know exactly what happened.”

“We were caught with our pants down, this time around,” Alexia said, feeling somewhat ashamed. “We weren't prepared for this. We lost everything.”

“The vampires are getting smarter and more brazen,” Danforth said. “It was only a matter of time.”

“The girl that called us initially took out their master. But we never found out who was running the show in his absence.” Alexia offered, looking at Rain.

“Do you think he was taken out in the fight?” Danforth asked.

“I don't know. Truthfully, I doubt it,” Alexia said. “If he's smart enough to organize all of those vamps, then he's smart enough to keep himself out of the thick of it. I'm betting he split as soon as the heavies showed up.”

“Did you manage to get it all on camera?” Danforth asked.

“Damn right I did,” Alexia said. “Can you blame me? Want me to send you a copy?”

“Yes, I do.” He sighed heavily. “I suppose it would be too much to ask you  _not_  to post this on your website.”

“You kidding? This shit is going straight into the premium folders.”

“Figured. The President is aware of what happened to all of you. He knows that your rigs were all destroyed, leaving you with no real way to get home and no way for the band to continue touring. He said he's got some surprises for you.”

“Like what?” Alexia asked.

“Telling you defeats the purpose of a surprise, now doesn't it?” he said, chuckling.

“Fine be all secretive, you damn government spook,” Alexia said. “Thanks,” she said, finally. “For doing everything you have for us.”

“I only wish this time I could have done more,” he said. “You girls take it easy and rest up.”

“Thanks, Admiral,” Alexia said, ending the call. She shared with those present what he'd said.

“All of our instruments and shit were in that trailer,” Neo said. “What kind of cheap ass motherfucker blows up someone's cars? That's just bullshit.”

“Don't feel too bad,” Faith said. “That Torino was rare as hell. There was only one Type Northwest ever made with the 429 Super Cobra Jet. And Kat owned it.”

“Sadiira's guitar was a 1978 Gibson Les Paul,” Neo said.

“Holy shit,” Alexia said, stunned. She looked to Faith. “That's a four thousand dollar guitar.”

“Damn,” Faith said. “That sucks.”

“That doesn't include Quan's bass, Cerri's drum kit and Nadiira's keyboard and Guitar.” She sighed “All told all that shit cost us about ten, twelve grand,” she said, her voice sad. “I have no idea what we're gonna do, now. We're pretty much back to square one.”

Rain rested her hand on Neo's arm. “It'll be alright. You'll figure something out.”

“The website's willing to pick up new instruments and shit for you,” Alexia said. “You guys rock and should be able to keep doing it.”

Neo gave her a smile and nodded. “Thanks.”

The girls spent the next couple of days simply recuperating from their ordeal. Alexia called her parents and told them that she was fine and would heading home soon. She didn't tell them what had happened over the past week. She'd deal with that catastrophe when and if, she had to.

Quan spoke to Cerri and assured her that she was fine, that all the girls were alright and that they'd be in LA in a couple of days.

As a thank you for Steven Travis convincing his father to commit professional suicide, they put enough money in a trust fund for him that would pay for a full ride to any Ivy League college of his choice. They also bought him a brand new 2014 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 in black, much to the chagrin of his father. Every girl there signed the headliner with a sharpie.

He turned and looked to Rain and handed her the pen. She was shocked. “You saved my dad's life,” he said. “That makes you just as much a hero as these girls.”

She happily jotted her name beside theirs.

Douglas borrowed a large van from the motor pool and took the girls to the abandoned airport and to one of the massive hangars. “It took a couple of days to get all this together for you,” he said to them as he drove along. “Comes directly from the President of the United States. He recognizes that you all do a very hard job and sacrifice enough for us. You shouldn't be left high and dry with nothing.” He looked at Neo. “Especially you all. You lost so much.” He was genuinely saddened.

He stopped on the tarmac and got out. The girls all did likewise. “Kat, Alexia, Rio, and Faith?” He said, motioning to the huge desert camouflage colored C-130 Hercules. “This is yours.”

“Are you fuckin' with me?” Kat asked, looking up at it. She was absolutely staggered.

“Nope. She's surplus. She's old but she's solid. Built-in 1969. Inspection team went over it with a fine tooth comb. Word came down that she was to be handed to you, free and clear. She's been sitting just collecting dust, to be honest. With you girls, she’ll get a new lease on life.”

“You've been wanting one, baby,” Alexia said, smiling. “We're really mobile, now.”

“It gets better,” he said, leading them around to the back. The huge bay door was open. “These are yours as well.” Sitting inside the bay, strapped down and ready for the flight were two older model Humvee troop wagons. “They're both 1992's but like the plane, they're both solid as hell. Had the gearheads going over them all day yesterday.”

Faith and Kat both drooled over the tan colored four by fours. “Hell yeah,” Faith said. “Heavy metal desert bashing.”

“I've always wanted to take one of these for a spin,” Rio said, grinning.

He smiled as he watched their reactions. The vehicles were all destined to be either mothballed or scrapped. Now, they were being put to good use.

Kat hugged him tightly. “Thank you, Sergeant Major,” she said, happily.

Alexia offered her hand. “It was good working with you, sir,” she said. He took it and nodded. “We'll never forget what you did for us.”

“You'd have done the same for us,” he said, nodding.

Faith shook his hand as well. “It was nice laying the smack down with you boys. Never gonna forget how completely awesome it was.”

He chuckled and nodded. “Same here,” he offered.

He took Rio's hand and kissed the back. “It was a genuine pleasure meeting you, Miss Braxton.” He smiled. “I finally got your jacket last night. You have quite the resume.”

She gave him a demure smirk. “That was a lifetime ago, Sergeant Major.”

“Lessons like that last a lifetime, Miss Braxton,” he said. “Luckily.”

“Very true,” she returned.

Alexia stepped over to Neo. “This was fun.” She pulled the potential in. “Whenever we get together, it's always a party, isn't it?”

“Yeah, it is,” Neo said. “You guys have a safe flight. Check in with us when you land, alright?”

“We will,” Alexia said. “Oh, and I realized something.” She leaned in close. “If you were using swords?” She smiled. “You'd take her.”

Neo chuckled. “I know,” she said, looking at the tattooed witch. “But don't tell her that. Besides, I'd rather fuck her than fight her.”

“She'd let you,” Alexia said. “Hell, I'd let you.”

“Get out of here and go home. Get some of that for me,” Neo said, pushing the girl toward the plane.

“Now it's your girls' turn,” Douglas said, moving toward a large hangar. “The Pres wanted me to express his deepest sympathies for what happened and knows that you had attachments to your gear.” He pulled back the doors. “He hopes that this might help make up for it.”

All five girls stood, staring at the new 2014 Ford F-450 Platinum and 2014 Heartland Bighorn 3610 RE 5th wheel travel trailer. “Oh my,” “God.” Neo and Quan said, respectively. The group moved up and inspected the rig and the trailer.

“Look inside,” he said, grinning. “Had to go all the way to Los Angeles for what's in there.”

Neo pulled the door open and stepped in. Still wrapped in plastic was a suite of top of the line musical instruments and sound equipment. All of them were shocked as could be. They all thought,  _really_  thought that they would be on their own, having to rebuild from scratch.

“I don't know what to say,” Neo said, her voice nearly failing her. She looked at him.

“A rarity, from what I've been given to understand of you,” he said, offering her a warm smile. “The government of the United States of America thanks you for your valiant service.”

She pulled him in and hugged him. “Thank you,” she said, her voice cracking.

“You're welcome. You're all welcome,” he said, his own voice filled with emotion. “Now get out of here. There are other people that need your help.”

Neo nodded. The four of them stood and offered a crisp salute to the man. He had their undying respect. He could see it in their eyes. He knew from their reputations and their dossiers – a gift from Danforth – that they didn't offer respect easily. He returned the salute. “God speed and fair winds, ladies.”

“Hoorah!” The five of them shouted in unison.

He stepped back as they moved toward the truck. “I wanna go home,” Neo said, growling as she pulled the door open.

“Can't,” Quan said as she slid behind the wheel. “We gotta go to LA and pick up the rest of the crew. Then we got a tour to finish.”

“Fuck me,” Neo said, sighing.

Rain stood back, tears in her eyes. She wasn't sure what she would do, now that the girls were leaving. It had only been four days but she was starting to care very deeply for her fellow potential. She wanted to run to the girl and share how she felt. But she wasn't sure if she should. Neo already had a woman that she loved. She was fairly certain that she wasn't anything more than a distraction to the brutal fighter.

“Well?” Neo asked her. “You comin' or not?”

Rain snapped her eyes to the girl. “You…you want me to come with you?”

“Well, yeah,” she said, reaching overtaking the girl's hand. “You're family.” She stared into the Rain's eyes. “What? Did you think I was just gonna fuck you and leave you?”

Rain couldn't help the nod that followed the statement.

“Don't get me wrong, there's a hell of an awkward conversation comin' but…” Neo pulled her in and kissed her. “We'll deal with that when it comes. Alice Frog,” she said, smiling.

Rain looked at her and returned the smile with one of her own. “Rain Charlie Casey. Named after my grandfather.”

“Pleased to meet ya,” Neo said, shaking her head. “Now let's get out of here.” Rain then slid into the rig beside the twins. As the big Ford rumbled out of the hangar, toward the coast, she looked down at her hands. They were scarred and blistered.  _The hands of a warrior_. She thought to herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alexia, Kat, Faith, and Rio's adventures continue in Alexia: The Vampire Slayer Chapter 231.


	24. Chapter 24

Quan let out a small sigh of relief as she passed the 'Welcome to Los Angeles' sign on the side of the highway. “I can't believe I'm saying this out loud but I think I could go a really long time without seeing another vampire.”

Neo turned and looked at her. “Seriously?”

“Seriously,” Quan said. “I never wanna have to deal with that kind of shit again.”

“I thought it was a fuckin' blast.” The potential said, grinning. “Ass whuppin' on an apocalyptic level. That was fun as hell.”

“Yes but you're mentally deranged,” Quan said, sniggering. “Not everyone is as psychotic as you are.”

“This is true,” Neo said. She turned and looked at Rain. The girl was asleep in the back seat, as were the twins. “It was a hell of a fight. Definitely one for the archives. The kid did good.”

Quan chuckled. “You know, she's the same age as you, right?”

Neo turned serious eyes to her fellow hunter. “No, Anna, she really isn't. Physically maybe but…” She shook her head.

“Yeah, yeah. You're an old soul.”

“No,” Neo said, softly. “Just a really haunted and jaded one.”

Quan decided to change the subject. “Lexi called when you were takin' a piss at the gas station. She said that Rite got the feeds uploaded. Cerri's got copies as well.”

“Can't wait to see what she does with it. Got some cool shit happenin'. So where did we send the girls anyway?”

“Lexi and the website bought the old Hyperion Hotel downtown and moved Angel Investigations over. Catherine is staying with her family, I think. But Cerri, Talia, and Sarah are at the hotel.”

Neo sighed as she looked back at Rain. “That's gonna be a hellish conversation.”

“I think Talia will understand,” Quan said. “She's a pretty open-minded woman.”

“Probably. But I've seen the way Sarah looks at her. Girl's head over heels for her. But Rain…I don't know. There's something about her that just clicks with me.”

“She's got balls. Given everything she's been through, she didn't run from it like Sarah did. Part of you thinks Sarah's a pussy for that.”

“She is a pussy,” Neo said. “She's average. Normal. Normal people aren't cut out for this life. Rain, as much as she needs some serious seasoning, isn't normal. She got dropped into the gears of the machine just like we did and the machine broke before she did. I respect that.”

“Can't argue with that,” Quan said. “She's got a lot of potential, pun intended.”

“I can't help but think, though. Can I love Talia and Rain equally? Am I gonna favor one over the other?” Neo asked. “I love Talia. There's no doubting that. But Rain is just…she's pure, you know? Just a good, innocent kid pulled into a shitty fuckin' situation. A shitty fuckin' life.”

“So were you, once upon a time. We all were,” Quan said. “The world forces you to become what it needs you to be. In your case, the world needed a weapon. It needed something so dangerous, twisted, and violent that the demon community as a whole would shit itself at the merest mention.”

“You know, you're still stronger and faster than me, even without the tats, right?” Neo said. “I'm a badass and ain't afraid to prove it to motherfuckers but you're still harder than I am.”

“That's just it, Alice,” Quan said, using the potentials given name. Which meant something as none of the girls ever did so. “No. I'm not.”

“Last time we sparred and I went full tilt you took everything I had and didn't even break a sweat.”

“You broke four ribs and bruised my kidney,” Quan said. “I just didn't tell you.”

Neo stared at her intently. “You fuckin' bitch,” she said, her voice thick with rage. “Stop the fuckin' truck so I can kick your ass.”

“Shut, up Neo. I'm sayin' that you…”

Neo wasn't listening. “I said, stop-the-truck.”

Quan sighed and reached into the console and pulled the stun gun out. “You want this on your fuckin' neck?”

Neo looked to it and back to Quan. “You should have said something, Quan. My only job is to protect you guys. If I get too hard and heavy, you need to fuckin' say something.”

“You needed it, you stupid bitch.” Quan snapped at her. “If I hadn't, you would have found something else to vent your frustration on. Some club skank or something would have ended up in the hospital with who knows what wrong with her.”

Neo growled and sat back. “Don't do it again,” she said, eyeing the bigger woman. “I'm not fuckin' around, Quan. I go overboard, you have to let me know.” She softened her angered expression. “You're all my family. I can't have you getting hurt because of me.”

“I'm still here and I'm fine, Alice.” She reached over and took the girl's hand. “Don't worry. We're here,” she offered, pointing.

The huge white building had scaffolding around it with men working to clean the façade up. “How long has this place been here?” Neo asked. “Looks turn of last century.”

“Couldn't tell you,” Quan said. She reached back and tapped the twins' feet. “Wake up.”

The pair yawned and stretched, looking at the building. “This place isn't creepy,” Sadiira said, eyeing the faded exterior.

Neo gently shook Rain awake. “Hey, kid. Time to get up.”

The girl looked at her and smiled. “Thanks.”

They headed up to the main door and pushed it open. The interior of the lobby was clean and smelled like disinfectant. “Looks a lot better on the inside,” Neo said, nodding. Her eyes stopped when she saw Talia standing, eyes tearing up. “Come here, baby.” Neo's arms were wide open.

Talia ran toward her, throwing her own arms about the girl, hugging her close. “I've been worried sick about you.”

Neo held her tight. “I'm fine, Tal. Gonna take more than an army of vampires to keep me down.”

Talia chuckled. “My brain wrapped around the concept but my heart takes a bit more convincing.”

Neo lifted her chin and kissed her passionately. “I know how you feel. The heart can be pretty damn complicated sometimes.” Talia looked at her intently, then followed her potentials gaze. Rain stood, staring at Sarah. The pair weren't hugging. There was an apologetic sadness in Rain's eyes and a look of betrayal in Sarah's. “I'm sorry, Tal,” Neo said, softly. “It just kinda happened.”

Talia turned back to her. Neo was ready for the fight that was inevitably to follow. “Our bed just got a bit smaller, didn't it?”

Neo regarded her a moment. “You're… _okay_  with it?”

“Do you love me?” Talia asked Neo. “Do you, Alice Frog, love me?”

“Yes,” Neo said. “I always will. Couldn't stop if I wanted to.”

“Then that is enough for me,” Talia said. “I thought this was a possibility the first time I allowed you both to share a bed. Do you…feel anything for Sarah?”

“No,” Neo said, quickly. “Quan said the only reason I've got any kind of rumble for Rain is that she's a fledgling badass.” Neo chuckled. “You should have seen her with her bow and arrow. Girls all fuckin' Strongbow and shit.”

Talia raised an eyebrow. “Strongbow?”

“Didn't you read Elfquest?” Neo asked.

“I've never even heard of Elfquest,” Talia said, shaking her head.

Neo lightly slapped the woman across the cheek. “Get out,” she said. The sparkle in her eyes stole any actual malice from the statement.

“Did you ever watch Luther?” Talia responded.

“Never heard of it,” Neo said. She received a like slap. “I know, I know, get out,” she said, laughing.

Quan lifted Cerri from the ground and spun her about, hugging her tightly. The pair shared a long, heartfelt kiss.

Cordy, Angel, and Wesley stood by the counter, waiting for the reunion to come to a close. Cordy scrunched her nose at the site of the massive woman kissing the younger girl. “That's just wrong on so many levels.”

Angel shrugged. “I'm over two hundred years old. Buffy was only seventeen when we-,”

“You finish that statement and I'm staking you in your sleep,” Cordy said, not looking at the vampire.

He chuckled. “Just putting things in perspective.”

“While I don't necessarily agree with, well,  _that_.” Wesley began, pointing to the display. “You both have a point. But more so than even people like us, these girls are a shining example of a life less ordinary. They have constant exposure to one another. They live, eat and breathe for each other. There's bound to be feelings. It's just the world they inhabit.”

“That's, like, all fine and good but in the world  _we_  live in, that is illegal as hell,” Cordy said, also pointing to the pair.

Cerri tapped Quan's arm. “Put me down, love.” The big woman did as she was told. The girl moved over to the taller fashionista. “What about our relationship bothers you?” She asked. “What  _specifically_?”

“Um, you're like, thirteen and she's what? Seventeen? Eighteen?” Cordy returned.

“She's eighteen, actually,” Cerri said. “Is it the age difference? Is that it?”

“It's illegal,” Cordy said.

“So, it's the illegality that you have a problem with?” Cerri pressed. “The fact that we're breaking the law is the reason you don't like it?”

Cordy looked at Angel and Wesley. They both stared at her with questioning looks. They weren't going to bail her out. “I don't know. I guess so.”

“That's not an answer. It's a yes or no question.”

“Sure. Yes. It's the fact that you're still a little girl,” Cordy said.

“Okay. That gives me something to work with.” Cerri held her hand up and began ticking off her fingers. “Breaking and entering, coercion, assault, felony trespassing, operating a business without a license, misrepresentation, impersonating a law enforcement officer, willful destruction of property, burglary…” She cocked her head. “Shall I go on?” Angel and Wesley both nodded but Cordy simply furrowed her brow, obviously not understanding. “Every single day you wake up in the morning and open those doors, you're breaking the law. You're saying that it's okay for you but it's not okay for us?”

Cordy tisked and crossed her arms. “We're not doing anything gross.” She pointed to the pair of them. “What you two are doing? That's gross.”

“Don't matter. That's a personal opinion. Has nothing to do with the conversation. It comes down to the fact that you, by condemning us for our relationship from some perceived moral pedestal is both ludicrous and offensive in equal measure. Until you can go a day and not commit a single crime and distance yourself from people that can't, you have absolutely room to cast stones.” Cordy didn't know what to say to that.

“You ever been in love, Cordy?” Quan asked, stepping up behind the petite hacker. “I mean in love so bad that it makes your heart beat faster? Makes your palms sweat and gets you all weak in the knees? A love so strong that you can't think straight and all you have to do is just look at the object of that love and come undone?”

Cordy lowered her eyes and nodded. “Once,” she said, softly. Angel and Wesley shared a look. They knew, full well who the girl was talking about.

“That's how we feel,” Cerri said. “Age has nothing to do with it. When you stare into the eyes of a vampire so powerful that he makes him,” She pointed to Angel. “Look like Renfield to Dracula, and get forced to watch as he slowly and meticulously breaks your arm in three places while you scream your lungs out?” Cerri felt her giant love go stone tense behind her. She pressed her slim form into Quan's body. “You grow up real fucking fast.”

She turned to Angel. “Was he really that strong?”

Angel nodded. “Heidenreich was pretty powerful. I mean, physically, I could have taken him, I'm sure, but if he got his eyes on me and I wasn't super careful, he'd have fed me my lungs.”

Cerri nodded. “I'm young. I know that. We take a chance every time we spend the night together. I'm not trying to talk you into liking what we are, what we have, Cordy. I just want you to understand that even though I'm only thirteen, just like all of you, I'm living on borrowed time. I'm a demon hunter. Yeah, instead of having my ass in the grass like the rest of you, I'm in the rear with the gear. It's a less dangerous position to play but it isn't safe by any stretch of the imagination.” She lifted her sleeve and showed the girl her left arm. “Months of physical therapy and even now, I've only got eighty-seven percent use of this arm. It still hurts when I play the drums and if I sleep wrong, it feels like someone's stabbing me in the elbow with an icepick.” Quan's big arms held her closer and a little tighter. “In the face of all of that?” She shook her head. “I'm not afraid anymore of what the world thinks of this.” She ran her hands over the inked up thick arms. “I can't be.”

Cordy looked intently at the pair. “Wow. That was the cheesiest crap I have ever heard.”

Cerri sighed. “Fine.” She stepped up, grabbed Cordy by the front of the shirt, tugged her down and plundered the girl's mouth with her tongue and pressed Cordy's hand to her crotch. The statuesque brunette was so thoroughly shocked that she didn't make any effort to pull away. Cerri then released her and looked her in the eye. “Now you just made out with and fondled a thirteen-year-old girl. You're the pot. We're kettles. No name calling.”

Angel snorted, trying not to laugh. Wesley just cleaned his glasses. Cordy wiped her hands on her pants. “That was just rude.”

“I never said I played fair,” Cerri said, smiling.

Rain stepped up to Neo as the beefy potential was still laughing. “We need to talk,” she said, thumbing back to the teary-eyed Sarah.

“Sure,” Neo said, nodding. “Talia's already on board.”

The Watcher sighed. “Why fight it?” She looked at Sarah. “That's not going to be pretty.”

“Probably not,” Neo said, shrugging. “Nothing to be done about it, though. Better let her down now than later. It's just gonna get worse the longer we wait.” Neo turned to Angel. “Hey, big guy?” He looked at her. “Someplace we can have a serious conversation where shit ain't gonna get broke if one or more of us get pissed off?”

“Basement,” he said, motioning for them to follow him. “We just got it cleaned out.”

Neo fell in step beside him. “Thanks for letting us chill and regroup. We owe you.”

“No you don't,” he said. “You'd do the same for us.”

“True,” Neo said. She moved past him and down the stairs, clicking the light as she did so. Rain followed behind as did the softly sobbing Sarah. Neo moved over and leaned against a stack of boxes. She crossed her arms and watched. She knew this was a conversation that was needed.

Rain stood before Sarah as the girl did her best not to bawl. For long moments none of them spoke. “I asked you,” Sarah said. “I asked you the question.”

“I know you did,” Rain said, her voice barely above a whisper. “And I wish I didn't give the answer I did.”

“You don't love me?” Sarah asked her. She stepped up and took Rain's hands and stared into her dark eyes. “I want you to look me in the eye and tell me that you don't love me. Tell you me you love her,” She pointed at Neo. “More than me.”

Rain met her gaze. “I don't wanna hurt you, Sarah.”

“Done,” Neo said, stepping forward. She looked down at Sarah. She reached down and gripped the girl's shirt and lifted her from the floor with a single hand. For several seconds she held the girl as she struggled. Sarah even slapped her across the face. Neo's head never moved an inch. “Look at you right now. You're a foot off the ground being held in place by nothing but my hand.” She cocked her head. “You weigh what? Buck ten? Buck fifteen soaking wet?” She shook her head. “Rain and I are potential slayers. That means there's a fraction, a…glimmer if you will of what makes a slayer what she is. Something that sets us apart,  _above_  normal people. That spark is something you don't have and never will. That's a fact you gotta square with. Not my problem. Not her problem. But having that shard of power means we're part of a world that you're not. You got a glimpse of that world and it made you piss your pants and cry for mama. Rain swallowed her fear and put the hurt on a hell of a lot of vamps. She saved lives. You tucked tail and fuckin' ran. That proves that you ain't got what it takes to be with someone like her. Badasses need badasses. Otherwise, you're just a fuckin' plot device in a really bad anime.” She pulled the girl in and stared into her eyes. “If you loved her one damn bit, you'd be glad to get the fuck away from her. Because you'd just compromise her.” She then dropped the blonde and turned to Rain. “I've said my peace. I want you with me. I want you with us. You'd be a hell of an asset to have around. She loves you. At least she claims to. I don't. But I can see it happening. Fucks with my head a little that in such a short ass time, I've fallen for one woman and started falling for another. Not sure why but I'm done fighting it. When you get shit squared with crybaby Barbie here, let me know.” Neo left the basement without another word, leaving the pair to talk amongst themselves.

Rain watched her go and turned back to Sarah. The blonde was staring at the ground, trembling. She wasn't sure what she could say to the girl that didn't sound trite and meaningless.

“There's nothing I can say,” Sarah said between sobs. “Is there?”

Rain wanted desperately to reach out and comfort Sarah. A few days ago, she thought,  _honestly_  thought that she returned the girl's affection. They shared an impassioned kiss. It was good, she wasn't going to take that way from Sarah. But she also understood that the pair had been through hell together. They'd been running for their lives and were staying barely a step ahead of the undead monsters that had been hunting them. In that moment, she desperately wanted to fall in love with Sarah. She  _wanted_  to. But she didn't. She valued their friendship but as her time beside Neo unfolded, brief though it was, she felt a connection that she and the blonde didn't and would more likely as not, never have. Like with Sarah, Rain had spent a majority of the time fighting for her life. But with Neo, she almost came to  _enjoy_  it. Neo instilled in her the belief that being human didn't matter. It was about what you had inside, what you were willing to do to put the other guy in the ground. That _limit_ was only a word and nothing more. It meant as little or as much as you wanted it to mean. To people like Sarah, it was a barrier. To someone like Neo – and as a byproduct of the past few days someone like Rain – it was a goal.

All of this saddened her, it really did. She liked Sarah. She was a fun, energetic, and light-hearted person. She was a great friend. But that's where it should have stayed and Rain realized that. In admitting that she returned the girl's love, she'd fucked up and she knew it. She gave Sarah hope where there really wasn't any. At the time, it seemed a good idea to give the girl something to hang onto. But now that everything was over and the smoke had cleared…a thread of hope was all it was. Rain felt her own tears begin to flow. “I'm sorry, Sarah.” Was all she could say.

“When?” Sarah asked. “When did it happen?”

Rain couldn't tell her. “I don't know,” she said, honestly. “It just happened.”

“You fucked her again, didn't you?” Sarah asked. Rain bit her lip and nodded. She didn't want to meet the blonde's eyes. “If I'd have stayed, would it have mattered?” For that, Rain had no answer. “Neo said that you want her over me because she's a fighter and I'm not.” She cocked her head. “Is that true?”

Before she realized what she was doing, Rain nodded. “I care for you, Sarah, I really do. You can believe that or not. But she's right. I mean don't get me wrong, she has a shitty way of explaining it but she is right. When we were running from the vampires, I was doing the fighting. I was-,” She stopped herself.

“You were holding me together. You were the one that kept me from falling apart and being a terrified mess.” Sarah finished. Her voice was filled with emotion, most notably, defeat. Both Rain and Neo were right. “I'm not a part of this world.” She stepped up and took Rain's hands. “I close my eyes and see horrors that I never knew were possible. Just the memories alone are enough to make me go insane. But you, you crave more of it. You wanna throw yourself all in and get in the trenches.”

“There's a part of me that's just as scared of what's out there as you are, Sarah. I don't want you thinking I'm completely fearless, because I'm not. But I'm also not going to lie to you and tell you that I don't feel the compulsion because I do. I always have. Even when we were running for our lives, I was excited. I found it exhilarating.”

“Being a potential slayer is probably why.” Sarah offered. “I'm mad. I'm hurt and I wanna scream and yell. But that isn't going to change anything.”

“I wish I could love you the way you want me to, Sarah. I really do. But wanting it won't make it happen.” Rain cupped her cheeks and gave her a chaste kiss. “I'm sorry. Sorrier than you'll ever know.”

“I guess I'm just no competition for the toughest woman on the planet,” Sarah said. “This is gonna sound really mean. I think we should be honest with each other.” She let go of Rain's hands. “You deserve to be happy. With Neo you will be, I think. I wish you and Neo the best. And don't worry about me. I'll be okay. But… you tore my heart out, Rain. I'm probably never going to forgive you for that. Forget you know me. I don't wanna see you ever again.” Sarah began crying anew.

“We were friends before you ever fell in love with me, Sarah. There's no reason-,”

“There  _is_  a reason, Rain. Because seeing you will always remind me that I wasn't good enough, fast enough, or strong enough for you.” She shook her head and moved to the stairs. “I can't –  _won't_  – live like that. I deserve to be happy, too. I'm getting as far away from you as possible. Maybe I'll be able to find someone that'll help me forget about you.” She stared at the potential. “Goodbye, Rain.”

Rain wanted to run to her and grab her. She wanted to pull the blonde in and hold her tight and never let go. She wanted to tell Sarah that she  _did_  love her. But she didn't. Because it would be a lie. Yes, she wanted to comfort the hurt teen but she couldn't bring herself to lie to her. So she stayed where she was and watched her friend. “Goodbye, Sarah. I hope you do find something that makes you happy. I'm sorry that it wasn't me.”

“You never even gave us a chance,” Sarah said, softly before ascending the stairs.

Rain stood for a few seconds before she fell to her knees…and wept.

Neo was waiting by the basement door when Sarah came up. The blonde looked her in the eyes. “Take care of her.”

“Better than you ever did.” Neo snapped back. She felt the slight sting as Sarah smacked her across the face. “Christ, kid,” Neo said, shaking her head. She pushed Sarah back and slammed her fists in the wall on either side her head. “I take full on punches from shit that can turn cinder blocks in the gravel with a jab. You couldn't hit me hard enough to hurt me. So stop trying. You're embarrassing yourself. Now listen up, because I'm only gonna say this once. You're a fuckin' pussy. Simple as that.  _But_  if something in that air-filled mallet on the top of your neck is telling you that she's only pickin' me over you because of how much of a badass I am, then you got two choices. Nut up or shut up. You can pack up and run, like you have been doing, or get better. Those are your only two options. Personally, I don't think you have the chops. Once a pussy, always a pussy as far as I'm concerned.” She stepped back. “Choice is yours, pipsqueak.”

“It's not that easy for everyone,” Sarah said, her eyes narrowed. “And as you said, you're a potential. You're a part of this world. I'm not.”

“No you're not,” Neo said. “But look at Kat. Look at Rio. Look at the twins. There ain't really anything special about any of them. They're all human. Yeah, Kat knows magic but she had to learn it first. The only thing she had when she started fighting was martial arts training. Again, something that can be learned. But you just keep making excuses. Reasons why you can't and not reasons why you can or should.” She grinned widely. “And that's the reason I'm gonna be the one with my tongue between Rain's legs tonight and not you.”

“Maybe I'll find you down the road and prove you wrong and take Rain back,” Sarah said.

“Tall order, girl.” Rain reached down and cupped Sarah's crotch. “You know just how magical these hands are. You went hoarse.”

“Then I guess I have my work cut out for me,” Sarah said. She pushed her way past the older teen and stormed out into the lobby of the hotel and out the front door.

Neo chuckled and turned to head back down the stairs. She saw Rain on her knees crying. She knelt beside the girl and pulled her in, holding her. She didn't say anything.

“She doesn't wanna see me ever again,” Rain said between hiccupy sobs.

“Yeah. Got that impression when I talked to her.” Neo looked Rain in the eyes. “But I think she might be a little tougher than we give her credit for.”

Rain furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?”

“Maybe we haven't seen the last of her, is what I'm saying,” Neo offered. “Maybe what I said lit a fire under her ass.”

“What did you say?”

“Nut up or shut up. You prefer badasses. She wants to compete with me, she has to up her game. She seemed pretty intent when she left.” Neo smiled. “Maybe she'll come back and sweep you off your feet and right out of my arms.”

“You won't let that happen,” Rain said. “You're way too possessive for that.”

“You're God damn right,” Neo said, pulling Rain in and kissing her roughly. “I like my stuff.”

Rain reached around and gripped Neo's bottom, giving it hard, nearly painful squeeze. “So do I.”


	25. Chapter 25

Neo strolled along the streets of Los Angeles, enjoying the night. It had been four days since they'd taken up with Angel and company in the old hotel. She had to admit that it was one of his better ideas. From what Cordelia had said, he was running his operation out of a crappy office.

The website spared no expense to get the hotel up to snuff. The cleaning crews spent a week getting the rooms put back to rights, maintenance teams swarmed over the kitchen and basement fixing the appliances. Electricians and contractors put in wrench time to get the structural damage repaired.

Now the place practically sparkled. It was a great place to run the business from. Granted, all that space was kind of going to waste but that was Angel's problem.

The LA winters were anything but cold. The reader board on one of the many banks along the lane revealed it to be just after seven at night and a pleasant 73 degrees. She sighed and looked around. Alone as she was, she was content just to simply walk along, no particular destination, nothing particular planned.

Talia and Rain had taken to spending the evening together, getting to know each other better. If the three of them were going to be sharing a bed, then it seemed like a very prudent idea. Neo was fairly surprised when Talia dismissed the idea of telling the Watcher's Council about the girl. Her reasoning was fairly simple. If they knew, they'd more likely as not take Rain away and place her with another Watcher. Both she and Neo had grown far too fond of the girl for that to be allowed.

So Rain remained a secret. And Neo was perfectly fine with that. Her attention was suddenly stolen as a jacket-clad arm shot out from the darkness of a lightless alley, aimed for her head.

Her training and instincts immediately took over. She caught the arm around the wrist, stopping it cold. Her leg was in motion, kicking to the side.

Her attacker was obviously no stranger to combat and used his free hand to bat her foot aside. He danced back as the heel of her boot cracked into the brick, causing dust to fall from the wall.

She was in the alley now, squared off with the figure. He had a drab army jacket over his lean form. A dark hood obscured his face. He was in a fighting stance, eyeing her. Neo noticed that she had a bit of height on him. She brought her fists up and began bobbing on the balls of her feet. “You really itchin' to get the shit kicked out of you that badly, pal?” She asked him.

He didn't say anything. He instead, chose to answer with his fists. He launched a fast salvo of rights and lefts. His speed was incredible. Neo didn't give up one inch of ground. She stood firm, parrying his blows. She could feel that he was incredibly strong for a man of his stature. One of his strikes snuck through and caught her in the ribs. She felt the muscle tighten and knew that it was only through her rigorous exercising that she didn't suffer a broken rib. She could hear the evenness of his breathing and knew full well that he wasn't a vampire.

As he connected with his blow, she answered back, drilling him across the face so hard he spun in place. She crouched as he turned, looking to take his legs from beneath him.

At the last second, he jumped into a sort of corkscrew turn coming to his feet few paces away from her.

They again squared off. “You've got some moves, bud. I'll give you that.” She rolled her head around on her shoulders. “But I'm not in the mood for you to be that good.” She stalked toward him, now. For one of the first times in her life, she was in a good mood. She wasn't looking for a fight. She didn't even want one. Which was incredibly rare for her. Now, this  _asshole_  had decided to test her. And that pissed her off.

 _Fuck_. She growled to herself.  _Now I'm in a pissy mood_.

For his part, he stayed where he was. He set his foot and readied himself for her. He could see the boiling rage in her eyes and smiled. Anger was never helpful.

But this wasn't a lesson Neo had ever learned. She was angry almost all the time. Rage was a constant for her. She'd never known a life without it. Yes, for most rage and anger were destroyers. But for her, they were weapons. They gave everything an edge. They made her lethal.

He again went on the attack. His fist raced in and caught her across the jaw. Her face was blasted to the side…to whip back around, glaring at him. The blow didn't even slow her down. She punched him in the chest, staggering him back. He executed a hard roundhouse snap kick to the ribs. She caught his leg and held it fast, gripped his jacket and turned, hurling him into the side of the building with breathtaking force.

He crashed into the brick and fell to the trash-strewn concrete. The air was blasted from his lungs. He scurried back away from her and quickly got to his feet.

He had less than a heartbeat before she was on him. Her hammer hard fists came at him with unrelenting fury. He quickly realized his mistake in challenging her. He kept ahead of the strikes, pushing them aside, redirecting them and simply dodging others. He was beginning to tire. She seemed to not be winded at all.

Neo was beyond pissed. She wanted this son of a bitch dead. She wanted to crush and bludgeon the life from him for ruining her night. Moments of contentment and peace were all too rare for her. When one came, she embraced it. This motherfucker had seen fit to fuck that shit all up. Now he was going to pay for it with not only his blood but also his life. She'd see him in the fucking ground. He was good, keeping her at bay.

But the time for showing off was  _so_  over. She snarled like a wild dog and lunged at him, wrapping her arms around his waist. He immediately hammered her in the back with a double ax-handle. He might as well have tried chopping an oak tree down with a hatchet for all the good it did him. Neo lifted him from the ground as if he weighed nothing and spun, slamming him to the concrete with authority.

He nearly blacked out from the pain. She rose to her feet and backed up a step, her breathing coming in a series of low growls. “You fucked up, asshole. Any other night,  _any_ other night and I'd have welcomed this. I'd have danced with you all night long. But tonight?” She shook her head. “Didn't ask for this. Didn't want this. You stole that choice from me. You took one of the few joys I have left and I'm gonna make you fuckin' pay for it.” She stormed back in and gripped his lapels, lifting from the ground. She spun and drove him against the wall. Her hand closed around his throat and she drew back to punch him in the face when his hood fell slowly backward.

Neo was suddenly stunned. She stared into a face that she'd not seen in over ten years. Her throat was suddenly dry. A decade of emotion raced in like a tsunami. Her voice cracked as she spoke. “Dad?”

Edgar stared into the eyes of his beautiful daughter. “Been a long time, Allie,” he offered with a smile.

For long moments they were content to gaze at one another. Slowly her lip curled into a snarl and she punched him hard between the eyes before letting go of him. He immediately lifted his hands to his face. “Ow, fuck. You broke my damn nose.”

“Yeah, you're lucky that's all I broke, you son of a bitch,” Neo said, stepping away from him. She crossed her arms and glared at him.

He drew in a few deep breaths and did his best to set it, resulting in a sharp crunch. “Goddammit,” he said, bending over to keep from puking. “Never gets any easier.”

“What are you doing here, dad?” she asked harshly.

“Ten years and that's all you can say?” he asked, standing tall and looking her over.

“What did you expect? You pawned me off on Reggie and haven't so much as sent me a fuckin' birthday card,” she snapped.

“You know why I gave you to him, Allie.”

“Stop calling me that. I'm not fucking five anymore.”

“I can tell. A five-year-old wouldn't have been able to throw me around like that,” he said to her. “I saw you on the news in Victorville.”

“I'm fine,” she said, turning to leave the alley. “You can leave now.”

He trotted after her and fell in step beside her. “I should have reached out to you. I know that,” he said. “But you knew why I couldn't.”

She looked at him. “Why?” she asked. “Because it was too dangerous?”

“I had vampires after me, Al-Alice,” he said, pleading. “And they'd have done anything to hurt me. You knew that, even back then.”

She crossed her arms again and narrowed her eyes. “Yeah, and look how well that fucking turned out. Now I'm in the family business, aren't I? I'm just like you and uncle Alan. Except better looking and better at my job.”

He mimicked her stance. “I know,” he said, likewise glaring. “The whole of the supernatural world is terrified of you. They talk about you as far away as Europe and Asia. What I'm wondering is  _why_?”

She couldn't stop herself from grinning like a skull. “Because, dad, vampires know that depending on my mood staking and dusting them is the  _kindest_ thing I can do to them.”

He felt a shiver run down his spine. “Reggie taught you well.”

“I guess so,” she said, noncommittally.

“What happened to you?” he asked. “You used to be so much like your mother. So full of piss and vinegar. Now you're just… _angry_.”

She stared at him. “You really wanna know why, dad?” She pointed at him. “You. You gave me away like an old couch. Just pawned me off.” She waved her hand dismissively as he tried to speak. “I don't give a shit what you say. You had vampires after you. Who gives a shit? You and uncle Alan were good at what you did. You could have kept me safe. But you didn't. You didn't even wanna try. As soon as the Watcher's Council got in touch with you about me, you saw an out. You saw the perfect way to get rid of me and to keep hunting.”

“You think I hunt vampires because I  _want_  to?” he asked, incredulous. “It was never about wanting to, Alice. It was about  _having_  to. Santa Carla was a fucking buffet on the hoof. It was just as bad as Sunnydale, if not worse.”

“I know that,” Neo said. “Portland used to be that bad.”

“And now it's not,” he said. “Because of you.”

“Because of  _us_.” Neo corrected. “The rest of the girls pull just as much weight as I do.”

“Yeah, but you don't hear vampires saying their names in fear,” Edgar offered. He was actually quite proud of his little girl. “When I saw what you did on the news and on that website of yours, I didn't really believe you were as strong and good as you are.”

“You're a fucking idiot for coming at me like that,” she said to him. “I could have killed you.”

“I know,” Edgar said. “I just wanted to know what you'd learned since you were little.” He reached up and touched his nose gingerly. “Learned the hard way.”

“So is that the reason that you found me?” she asked him. “Just to gauge my fighting skills?”

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “Well, not the entire reason.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small white box. “I wanted to give you this.”

She took it. “What is it?” she asked him.

“It belonged to your mother. I wanted you to have it.”

She slid the top off and saw a blue felt covered case inside. She removed it and flipped it open. Inside was a beautiful gold ring with several sapphires inset. “What is this?” she asked him.

“It's your mother's wedding ring,” he said, his voice cracking slightly. “She was wearing it the night she died. You were only a year old when she was killed.”

“Why are you giving this to me?” she asked. “Shouldn't you have it?”

“I think she'd want you to have it,” he said to her.

She stared at him. “What aren't you telling me, dad?” she asked, finally.

“I'm getting out,” Edgar said, softly. “I'm not hunting anymore.”

“What?” She was dumbfounded. “What do you mean you're not hunting anymore?” He knelt and lifted his pant leg. Neo was shocked to see that his leg was no longer flesh and blood but metal. “What happened?” She asked him.

“Got caught,” he said, rising back to his feet. “About a year ago, I got trapped in a school up north at nightfall and had to wait it out until sunrise. I'd nearly bled to death when Alan found me. They had to amputate my leg.”

“I'm sorry to hear that.”

“I've been in physical therapy ever since,” he said to her.

“You don't move like you have a bum leg.” Neo offered him.

“It isn't a prosthetic. It's cybernetic,” he returned. “But it still hurts now and again.”

“How'd you get access to cybernetics?”

“A friend of mine goes to the local technical college in Dutton. He's a whiz when it comes to this shit.”

“Must be nice.” She closed the box and stuffed it in her pocket. “What are you going to do, now that you're no longer hunting? You're gonna go fuckin' crazy.”

“I don't think so. Unlike you, I never really enjoyed it. It was just something that I always felt I had to do. Same with Alan. We hunted vampires because someone had to. The slayer was only one girl. She was never around when she was needed.”

Neo, for her part, chuckled. “I can definitely understand that.” She sighed. “You do know that there are four or five slayers now, don't you?”

He nodded. “I've been keeping up on the website. That's one of the reasons I've been so hesitant to reach out to you. I saw how you were doing through the videos and, well…” He shook his head. “You didn't need me coming in and fucking up the works. But I had to see you. Had to let you know that giving you up to Reggie was the hardest thing I'd ever had to do.”

She wanted to yell and scream, to shout that if it was so hard, he shouldn't have done it. Yes, her father and her uncle were extremely gifted hunters. They'd both had very impressive kill counts to their credit. And as much as she wanted to believe that they could have kept her safe, the truth wasn't so black and white. All it ever took was one mistake. One vampire with an ability that they didn't prepare for and she would have been just another casualty.

Heidenreich proved that when he went after Cerri and Max. Given that she'd learned long ago to embrace her anger and fury, she wasn't as affected by what the old vampire did to Cerri as Quan was. The big woman literally held the girl close and screamed herself hoarse. While Cerri being hurt like she had made Neo angry beyond the point of reason, seeing what it had done to Quan had made her sick.

And she knew that her father if anything had happened to her, would have been neck deep in that same pain. She didn't realize it back then but she understood it now. And she couldn't bring herself, now, to feel bitter anymore. To spare anyone that pain, she would, as her father did, distance herself from them.

“I forgive you,” she said to him. She stared into his eyes. “You wanted me to have a better life. You were always struggling with me. You were always giving something up so I didn't go without.” She stepped forward. “I'm sorry.”

“I wouldn't have done it if it wasn't necessary, Alice. You have to believe that.”

“I do believe that, now,” she said, pulling him in for a hug. “It just took me a while to figure it out.”

“I love you, Allie,” he said, softly, holding her tight. “I always have.”

“I know, dad,” Neo said, tears in her eyes. “I love you, too.” She pulled away, sniffing. “But seriously, jumping me like that? That was really fuckin' stupid.”

“My nose and bruised ribs second that assessment,” he said to her.

“You hungry? I was just heading out to get some food.” Neo asked, wiping her eyes.

He smiled and nodded. “I'd like that.”

The pair moved on and found a small out of the way diner. Neo sat telling him about the girls, the band, and what she'd been up to. She showed him pictures of Rain and Talia.

“And…you're dating  _both_  of them?” he asked, staring at the snapshots. He had to admit. Talia was gorgeous. Rain was a bit more on the plain side but he couldn't deny that she was cute and would more likely as not clean up well.

“Yep,” Neo said, nodding. “And they're both really good in the sack.”

He raised an eyebrow. “It really bothers me that having not been in your life for the past decade that I can't lecture you on being so sexually active.” He handed her back to the phone.

“You can still lecture me if it'll make you feel better,” she said, tucking her phone away. “No guaranteeing I'll listen.”

“Kind of makes it pointless, then doesn't it?” he said, chuckling.

“More than likely, yeah,” she said, nodding. “So what about you? Am I gonna have a mother-in-law anytime soon?”

He smiled and pulled out his own phone. “We got engaged about three months ago,” he said, turning it around and showing the picture.

“Wow. She's cute.” She stared at the large, muscular Hispanic woman. She looked at him. “Who is she?”

“Rosaria De La Cruz,” he said, taking the phone back. “She's a mixed martial artist and personal trainer. She was the woman they sent me to for my leg to get me back into shape.”

“And you both just kind of hit it off?” Neo asked. As he nodded, she grinned. “Right on. How old is she, just out of curiosity?”

“She's thirty-nine. She's only four years younger than me,” he said. “I'm not robbin' the cradle, don't worry.”

“That's alright. Talia's thirty-something. I'm only seventeen. She's like, eighteen years older than me.”

“Do I even have to tell you on how many levels that's disturbing?” he asked. His phone suddenly chimed. He picked it up and smiled. “She's going to be here in a few minutes. We've got a flight to catch.”

“Where to?”

“Las Vegas,” Edgar said. “Can I ask you a question?” As Neo nodded, he sighed. “Are you happy with this life? The life of a vampire hunter?”

“Why would you ask me that?”

“Because when I told Rosa that I wanted to come and find you, she said that I should offer you the chance to come with me and leave all of this behind. To be free of the vampires and monsters and all the crazy shit that I forced on you when you were little.” He took her hands and stared into her eyes. “Rosa's like, insanely rich and is willing to take you in just like that. She understands what it's like to be angry. That feeling of having to fight everyone all the time.”

Neo furrowed her brow and couldn't help but stare dumbfounded at him. “What…?” She shook her head. “I wouldn't give up my life for anything. You said it yourself, dad. You and uncle Alan have been fighting the supernatural war for decades. So have a lot of other people. But who's the one that everyone's afraid of?” She tapped her chest. “Right here. You're lookin' at her. I absolutely love that I have that effect on people. Granted, because I scare them all so bad, it leaves Portland pretty dead most of the time but I got a couple of hot chicks I can bang the hell out of full time, so I can deal with it.” She chuckled. “I wouldn't change that for the world.”

He sighed and nodded. “I had a feeling you'd say that.” He looked up and smiled. A long black limousine pulled up outside the diner. He saw his fiancé climb out. She was clad in a short black cocktail dress with strappy black heels. Her thick raven hair hung down to her butt. “Speak of the devil.”

Neo followed his line of sight and saw the woman walking into the restaurant. “Holy shit. That picture so did  _not_  do her justice.” She rose to her feet as her father did.

“Hello, dear,” he said, pulling her in to kiss her.

“Hola carino,” she said, returning his embrace. She then turned to Neo.

“Soy Alice. Encantado de conocerte,” the potential said, offering her hand. “Papá me ha hablado mucho de ti.”

Edgar looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “I didn't know you knew Spanish.”

“Are you kidding? I live in Portland. They teach you Spanish riding the Max line,” Neo said. “I also know Chinese and Japanese.”

“I happen to speak very good English if it's easier for you,” Rosa said, giggling. “You're father has told me a lot about you. He is very sad that he had to do as he did.”

“I might not have got it then but I do now,” Neo said. “I've gotta ask this, in the interest of honesty…what in the bluest of blue hells is a woman like you doing on the arms of a guy like dad?”

“Thanks a lot,” Edgar said, crossing his arms.

Rosa laughed. “You're father's a very loving, charming, and compassionate man.”

“We… _are_  talking about him, right?” Neo asked, pointing at her dad. The gesture earned a swat on her arm.

“Yes, I am talking about him,” she said, moving over and wrapping her lean muscular arms around him. “He's the greatest man I have ever met. And he's wonderful with my son and daughter.”

“How old are they?” Neo asked, curiously.

“Hector is nine and Mara is eleven. They both love him to death,” Rosa said, looking into Edgar's eyes. “He says that he lost a golden opportunity with you and wanted to at least do right by my little ones.”

“You do know that dad is flat broke, right?” Neo knew she should have just been happy for her father but she wanted to make certain that the woman didn't have some sort of ulterior motive behind being with him.

“I did not agree to marry him for his money,” Rosa said. “I agreed to marry him for his heart and his personality.” She then grinned widely. “And his virtues in the bedroom.”

“Good to know that dad can still perform,” Neo said. She turned back to Rosa. “You know what comes next, don't you?”

Rosa chuckled. “I do but you can say it if it will make you feel better.”

Neo stared into the woman's eyes. “No threats. Just a simple statement. You wouldn't be the first person with a pulse I've put in the ground.” Neo offered, her tone cold. “This month.”

That got both of the adults' attention. “You've actually killed people?” Rosa asked. She couldn't help but take a step back from the girl.

“You don't even wanna know what my body count is, sister,” Neo said. “But I don't just walk around stabbin' motherfuckers. Someone gets axed around me, they have it coming. Usually, just dickheads with a gun thinking that pointing that shit at me makes them safe.” She shook her head. “Fucks like that need to get dead.”

Edgar looked at Rosa who was paling a little. “Sweetie, it's alright. I taught Alice how to defend herself. And the man I sent her to did much the same thing. Alice would never hurt someone unless she had to.”

Neo did her best not to snort derisively. She knew the statement was complete bullshit and she was fairly certain that her father did, too. He was simply trying to keep his fiancé from booting all over the floor. “I've only ever put a hurt on people that tried to do the same to me.” Rosa gave her a nod, apparently taking the statement at face value. “I'm seeing a therapist for my anger management issues.” She added. Given that Talia had a PH. D in Psychology, it wasn't necessarily a lie, per se. She looked between Rosa and her father and sighed. “Listen, Rosa. My dad's a good guy. When I was little, he did everything he could to make sure we had a roof over our heads and food on the table. It wasn't a great life but he did the best he could. He loved me and always supported me in everything I wanted to do. He taught me the value of hard work and how to take care of myself. He was more of a parent than a lot of other kids I knew had. You're not gonna find anyone more willing to sacrifice for the sake of someone else than with this guy right here. Just because I'm damaged goods doesn't mean you should stop loving him. The way I am and the problems I have aren't his fault. He did what he thought was right. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. Too late to debate that now. But the point is he  _tried_. He wanted a life for me away from what we had and how we were forced to live. With Reggie, I was given the world. Top-notch education, the best physical training, and money to live like a girl should. But I would have given up the lavish lifestyle if it meant getting to spend one more day with my father.” Neo stared into her dad's eyes.

Rosa watched the pair and couldn't help but smile. “Los pecados de la hija no se someterán al padre.”

“The sins of the daughter are not visited upon the father,” Neo said, smiling. “I would hope not.” She pulled Rosa in for a hug. “I don't think I ever saw dad smile as widely as I have when he saw you walking up.”

“I love him.” Rosa offered. “I want to marry him and make him happy.”

“I think you're already doing that. Just don't break his heart, Rosa. He's already lost and given up so much. He deserves to be with someone that loves him. But please, whatever you do, keep him going to the gym with you,” she said, turning to her dad. “I don't want him looking like Homer Simpson next time I see him.”

“Never gonna happen, Allie,” Edgar said, hugging her again. “I'm proud of you. Everything you've done, all you've accomplished. I'm very,  _very_  proud of you.”

She dug into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. She quickly programmed her number in. “Now you don't have a reason not to call me once in a while. And if another girl answers it, just ask to talk to me.”

He nodded at her. “I will,” he said. “I'll see you later.” The pair left the diner and climbed into the long black Lincoln Towncar Limousine.

Neo stepped out onto the sidewalk and watched them pull away. As they departed, she didn't know how to feel. She was fairly conflicted by the meeting. She'd always operated under the assumption that her father had given her up because he wanted to be free of her to pursue his passion, which she always believed to be vampire hunting. And that had left her bitter for most of her young life.

But to learn that he had never enjoyed it and always prayed for the day that he could give it up and have a normal life was…well, it was heartbreaking, to be honest. She'd always expected to get a call someday that he and Uncle Alan were dead, or worse. She'd always just assumed that, because he lived by the hunt, he'd die by the hunt.

Now she knew different. Her father never embraced the life. He was a part of it, yes. But he was also apart  _from_ it. Vampire hunter was his job, never his calling. People always said that if you're good at something, it's because you enjoy it. She'd never found such to be true but it was a common belief. Her father, however, was a perfect example of an opposing viewpoint to the statement. He was a fantastic hunter. But at the end of the day, it was just a job to him.

Today, she didn't see Edgar Frog; Vampire Hunter. She saw Edgar Frog; Father and fiancé. He was normal. Granted he still moved like a hunter, fought like a hunter and was strong like a hunter…but that was where it ended. He'd given it up. Just like that.

She wanted to be angry at him. She really did. Because normal wasn't something she'd ever had. And to know, now that he was striving for it and she – because she loved hunting and slaying  _far_  too much to ever give it up – would never have it, made her jealous. And that realization was what seemed to have always, currently did, and would forevermore define her.

She was a walking, talking contradiction. She was a typical teenage girl, yet she struck fear into the hearts of things centuries older, massively stronger, far wiser, and a great deal more powerful than she was. And she was standing there, envious and jealous of her father for having something that she would never have and didn't really want.

“What the fuck kind of sense does that make?” She asked herself. A man on the street, dressed in a business suit carrying a briefcase stopped and stared at her as she spoke to herself. She narrowed her eyes. “What the fuck are you staring at?” She growled. She made a move to punch him, causing him to flinch away from her and run off. She smiled at herself. “That's better,” she said happily.

She heard a sharp whistle and stopped, turning toward the road. She looked at saw Talia and Rain both sitting in the front seats of Angel's convertible. They both motioned to her to come and get in. She trotted over and leaped into the backseat. She leaned forward and kissed both girls passionately. “I'm glad to see you two.”

“We've been looking all over for you,” Rain said. “Talia and I decided that it wasn't the same without you.”

“We talked. We made love…and wanted to be with you,” Talia said, shifting into gear and heading back to the hotel.

Neo chuckled and leaned back. “I'm perfectly fine with that.” She sighed and nodded. “You're never gonna guess who I ran into tonight…” She began, cheerfully.


	26. Chapter 26

Neo shook her head as she rode along in the passenger seat of the matte black automobile. “I still can't believe you bought this.”

“What's the matter with it?” Quan asked her. “It's big, it's roomy, and it's got power to spare. And it's not like the owner wasn't trustworthy.”

“It's a Ford Police Interceptor, Quan,” Neo said, looking around. “For fuck's sake, haven't we spent enough time in one of these things? Do we really need to _own_ one?”

“It  _used_  to be a Police Interceptor. Let's get that straight. And I know but at least this way we aren't in the backseat, now are we? We're gonna be driving.” She stepped on the gas. The engine rumbled as the car hit speeds of seventy down the main thoroughfare. “Besides that. Tell me this thing doesn't sound vicious as hell.”

“Oh, it sounds awesome. I'm not denyin' that,” Neo said. “But it's the stigma I'm not fond of. It used to be a cop car. We break the law quite a bit. That's like robbin' a bank with a cop's sidearm.”

“It's not that bad,” Quan said, chuckling.

“What's it got under the hood, anyway?” Neo asked. “You and him were talkin' so damn fast, I couldn't keep up.”

“Seven point five liter V-8. Throwing down about five hundred and eight ponies at the rear wheel. Five hundred and thirty-foot pounds.”

“What did they normally have in 'em?” Neo asked.

“Four-point-sixes originally. Some of the newer rigs were running five liters. Lucky to be laying down three hundred horses.”

“Heavy on the police, light on the Interceptor, apparently,” Neo said. “The new Chargers would chew these things up and spit 'em out.”

“Given that most of them are powered by Hemi's, yeah,” Quan said. “Do you really not like this thing?”

“It's alright. I mean, it's fast as hell and you know full well that it was taken care of. Most cops that buy their patrol cars from the department are serious car geeks. These guys are Kat with a badge and a gun.”

“Exactly,” Quan said. “And I went over this thing with a fine tooth comb. It's pristine. It was worth every bit of the twelve grand he was asking.”

“I know you can pick them up a couple of years old for somewhere near ten. With the engine in this monster, the guy put in some serious bread. He took a heavy ass loss, didn't he?”

Quan nodded. “The motor alone is worth what we paid.”

Neo continued to inspect the inside of the rig. The last owner pulled out all the stops and completely redid the interior. Now it looked so… _normal_. “You really can't tell it was a patrol car, to be honest.”

“Just the push bumper. And I'm so leaving that on,” Quan said.

“It'll do,” Neo said, sitting back. “But I'm driving it when we head north. You get the monstrosity for a while.”

“Prefer the truck to this, actually.”

“So you bought this for me is what you're saying?”

“No. I bought this so we didn't all have to cram our happy asses into the truck between cities. And I wanted something that could perform and still haul us around.”

“It does that and then some,” Neo said. “Let's get back to the hotel. I'm hungry and Rain is working with Talia to make something good.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I saw the groceries they bought,” Neo said. “And Rain promised the pair of them would work their magic.”

A few minutes later, Neo stood in the newly renovated kitchen of the old hotel watching the two beautiful ladies moving around cooking. She leaned on the counter and sighed. Since the fiasco in Victorville, Rain was falling neatly into place with the group. Talia was very, very fond of her and took to her without any reservations at all.

The three did have a conversation about how their relationship would go. Neo recounted it as she watched the pair of them scurry about.

Rain sat on the bed in a pair of comfortable sweat pants and a tank top. Talia sat beside her with her hands in her denim-covered lap. Both girls watched as Neo paced back and forth. They could see the consternation on her face.

She looked at the two of them. “Rain? Do you find Talia attractive?”

The girl turned and looked at the Watcher. From her light brown, almost sandy blonde hair to her small adorable feet, she took it all in. The woman was shapely and had an almost refined elegance to her. She easily crested the beautiful mark. “Yeah. Who wouldn't?” Talia gave her a soft appreciative smile.

“Fair enough,” Neo said, nodding. “Tal? What about you? You think Rain's got it goin' on?”

Talia, in turn, looked into Rain's eyes. She said nothing. Instead, she leaned forward, threaded her fingers into the girl's short dark hair, and proceeded to plunder Rain's mouth with her tongue. The younger potential immediately reciprocated and wrapped her arms around Talia's waist. For several seconds the pair held their embrace. When Talia finally pulled away, Rain had her eyes closed and was breathing heavily. For her part, Talia was a bit flushed. She then turned and looked at Neo with a raised eyebrow. “Does that answer your question?”

“Yeah.” The girl said, grinning. “That about covers it. But I want it understood.” She looked at Rain. “I love Talia. I love her a lot. Seeing you two kiss is just fuckin' hot. I can only imagine how seeing you two fuck is gonna make feel. Probably wet as hell but we'll see. Now, until what we have…” She pointed to Rain, “Gets off the ground, I'm gonna feel more for her than I do you.” Rain nodded. She understood as much. “But one thing I ain't gonna have is jealousy. Can you handle seeing the two of us kiss?”

Rain shrugged. “I don't mind watching the pair of you. I know you love each other. I hope in time you'll both feel the same for me but it's going to take just that. Time.”

“Square deal,” Neo said. “What about you?”

“As long as I get to partake, I don't mind one bit.” She took Rain's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze as she stared into the potentials cheerful eyes. “She's a magnificent girl. I look forward to many, many enjoyable and exhausting nights.” That earned a smile from the girl.

“You're so understanding that it's scary,” Neo said.

“What can I say? I choose to see the positives. Your feelings for me haven't changed. You still love me and I still love you. Now we have a young lady in our lives that is willing to accept our lot and who we are. She's beautiful, talented and can hold her own on the battlefield. I dare say she is as near as makes no difference perfect for our situation.” She shook her head. “What's there to lose in this?”

Neo couldn't be happier. She moved over and pulled both women to their feet. She kissed each of them and stared into their eyes. “If the choice is being called as a slayer or getting to spend the rest of my life with the pair of you?” She pulled them forward and rested her forehead against theirs. “I'd be perfectly happy being right where I am.”

Talia pulled back and looked at her seriously. “I think that is the most romantic thing you've ever said,” she said, her voice suddenly cracking. “To anyone.”

Rain didn't miss the implication in Talia's words. The pair had just been paid the highest compliment that Neo was capable of giving.

Rain looked at Neo and smiled. “Enjoying the view?” She asked from her place in front of the stove.

“Uh huh.” Neo offered. “Makes me wonder how fun it would be to break the kitchen in proper like.”

Talia just chuckled. “How about you do us a favor and run to the grocery store down the street and pick us up a few things?” She quickly jotted a note down. “This is what we'll need.”

“Didn't you just go to the store?” Neo asked, looking at the list.

“We thought we had everything,” Rain said. “Sorry.”

Neo pulled her in and kissed her. “No problem,” she said. She then followed suit with Talia. “I'll be back in a bit.” She left the hotel and made it out to the street. It was dark out and the city seemed to have quieted a bit.

Neo loved the way the city of Angels felt at night. It had its own voice, its own heartbeat. The Portland nights were almost calm, serene. But this city was different. She could take a deep breath and almost smell its struggle for life beneath the crime and pain. She grinned as she moved along. She could tell there were eyes on her. She strode about in nothing but a pair of cargo pants, combat boots, and a black tank top. She walked with the confidence of a woman with nothing to fear. She didn't deceive herself into believing the streets were safe. She knew they were far from it.

She just didn't care. To her, Los Angeles was a city of possibilities. It was a playground designed to let her ply her craft. That is if anyone had the balls to try their luck. She could see the grocery store down the block. “Not tonight, apparently,” she said, sadly.

Suddenly a sharp high pitched howling noise stole her attention. It didn't sound the least bit familiar. “What the fuck?” She asked, following the sound to a darkened alley between a pair of rundown apartment buildings. She ran and slid to a stop as she saw a pair of what she could only figure were demons attacking a boy that couldn't have been any older than her. He was struggling but the two beasts were getting the better of him. They both howled as they fought.

She narrowed her eyes and thought back. It suddenly came to her. “Howlers,” she said, rushing forward.

As one of the demons held the boy, the other drew back to slug him. His fist never reached its target. Neo gripped the pale-skinned demon's cloak and turned, hurling him into the wall with a sickening  _crunch_. He fell to the concrete, dazed. She pulled the boy from the monster's arms and issued a hard boot to the ribs, throwing the creature back into the bricks. “Run,” she said to the boy, pushing him down the alley. He didn't have to be told twice.

The Howler rushed at her, its meaty fist leading. Neo caught it in her left hand and held it fast. She grinned as the Howler looked on in surprise. “Didn't expect that, did ya?” She then loosed a hard right cross that spun him around. She kicked him in the back, pushing him into the wall. He came back around…and was immediately forced back when her foot came in, pressing his face to the stone. His skull collapsed with a wet  _crunch_.

She spun as the first Howler came at her. Her fist arced in, taking him across the jaw, spinning him to the ground. She jumped and landed with both feet beside his head. She clamped her boots across to the sides of his face and twisted, breaking his neck.

She was stunned when a massive piece of wood slammed across the small of her back. She growled and staggered forward, dropping to her knees. Her kidneys felt like they were on fire. “Son of a bitch,” she said, fighting past the haze of pain. She couldn't see her assailant, except for a really nice pair of combat boots.

She remembered thinking that they looked really comfortable before the wood crashed down across the back of her neck, blasting her from consciousness.

Neo awoke laying on a cold stone floor. “Mother fucker,” she said, reaching up and rubbing the back of her head. “Son of a bitch could swing.”

She sat up and immediately understood her predicament. She was in a cage. Through the bars, she could see several other creatures. Some species she recognized, some she didn't. She looked at her cellmate. He was a big beast from the northern reaches of the Yukon. She'd seen his kind before. Big, fairly strong, and dumber than paint.

“What's the story, bud?” she asked, rising to her feet. The demon turned to glare at her but said nothing. “Well, at least you don't stink,” she said, simply. She looked down at the strange bracelet she wore on her left wrist. “Huh,” she said, looking it over. It was smooth and had a roman 21 on it. She chuckled and shook her head. “How original.”

A moment later a man with long blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail entered the open area by the cells. She leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. She had a feeling she knew what she was doing there.

“Listen up, slaves. There is only one rule here.” He hit a button, opening the doors to the cells. “And it's really simple, so you demons can remember it.” Neo wasn't a demon but she saw no reason to correct him. He pointed down at the broad red stripe. “Stay inside the red. That wristband will make sure you do. I know what you're all thinking.” He looked right at Neo. “You want to tear my throat out.” He smiled. “But you won't. Because there is only one way out of here: when that band comes off. And the only way that band comes off, is after your 21st kill.”

“And let me guess,” Neo said, exiting the cell to stand in front of him. “Pit fighting?” she asked him.

“That's right, sweetheart.” He grinned at her. “Heard you took down two Howlers. Pretty impressive.”

“Your praise makes it all worthwhile,” she said to him. “You know…” She said, lifting her wrist up. “You don't need to keep this on me. I'd be willing to do this without the leash.”

“You expect me to believe that?”

“Question,” Neo said, looking at the red stripe. “What happens when I cross this?” she asked him.

He grinned. “Why not step over and find out?”

It was the last thing he said before Neo, with her right hand and gripped his throat, pulling him over onto her side of the red line. “Gotta be faster than the technology, I guess,” Neo said to him. Everyone in the room stopped. Two men in black, however, came rushing forward. “I wouldn't, boys,” she said. Her fingers squeezed his neck, causing him to start choking. “I could crush his neck like a paper cup.” She grinned. “Wanna see if I can make his head pop off?”

“What do you want?” The blonde asked her.

“Take this thing off,” Neo said. She released a bit of the pressure. “You really don't need it.”

“You'd be willing to kill for fun?” He asked her.

“Trust me, ass clown. You had  _any_  fuckin' idea who I was, you wouldn't be asking me that,” Neo said. She lifted her wrist. “Take it off.”

He nodded and turned to one of the men in black. The man hit the button on a control panel and the silver bracelet fell to the floor. Neo quickly stepped across the red stripe and let the man go. “That's better,” Neo said to him. The two men in black took a step but the blonde stopped them with a raised hand. “Smart,” she said to him. “Good help is _so_ hard to find.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out her cellular phone.

The light haired man cocked his head and looked at her with a furrowed brow. “What the hell?” He asked her. He turned to the guards. “You didn't  _search_  her?” He reached for her phone but she stopped him.

“Don't worry, hoss. I'm not gonna rat you out,” she said, dialing Talia's number. “Hey, babe.”

“Where are you?” Talia asked, nervously. “You've been gone for hours.”

“Yeah, I got kidnapped by a bunch of dudes that are forcing demons to fight each other in an arena or some shit,” Neo said. “I can't tell you where but I'm fine. I gotta take out twenty-one dudes then I'm free.” She looked at the gathered beasts. They all glowered at her. She grinned widely. “Won't take long.”

“Do any of them require special means to slay?”

“No,” Neo said. “Nothing like that. I can get out whenever I want but I'm gonna stick it out. Might be a few days. That cool?”

Talia couldn't help but chuckle. “I suppose that'll be fine. I've got Rain to keep me company. Keep your phone with you. We may need to come and get you if we run into a jam.”

“I gotcha. I love you. Tell Rain I love her, too.”

“Very well. Enjoy yourself,” Talia said, ending the call.

Neo stuffed her phone back in her pocket. “Just so we're clear. I'm not staying down here. Smells like ass and coleslaw.”

The blonde man grinned and offered his hand. “Jack.”

“Neo,” she said, taking his hand. “So when is my first fight, Jack?”

“Tonight,” Jack said, happily. He turned and pointed to a demon that looked to be almost human but has several ridges about his face. “You're going head to head with Baker.”

Neo looked the man up and down. “Gonna be fun,” she said, grinning. “Come on,” she said, turning to Jack. “Take me someplace to get a shower and we can talk about all the money I'm gonna make you.”

Jack nodded and led her out of the room.

 

An hour later, Jack paced around the room angrily. “I can't fuckin' believe this,” he said, shaking his head. He stopped and looked down at Neo as she sat on the sofa of his office sipping a glass of coke. “You're  _human_?” he asked her again.

“For the umpteenth time, yes. I am completely human,” Neo returned. “Hasn't changed in the last five minutes.” She looked at the cola. “Unless you spiked my drink with something seriously nasty.”

“Those  _fucking_  Howlers,” he said, shaking his head. “No. You're leaving.”

Neo furrowed his brow. “What? Why?”

“Because stealing demons and monsters off the streets is one thing. No one knows about them and no one cares. There's no one to miss them if they get killed. But I throw a normal into that meat grinder and there's gonna be questions. These girls of yours are gonna come running and frankly, I don't wanna deal with that.”

Neo rose to her feet. “Look. I've been fighting shit like what you have in those cages for years. I'm better than anything you have down there. Don't worry about me, Jack. This isn't a challenge for me. This is a vacation.”

“What happens if you get killed?” he asked her. “Those friends of yours are gonna have my fuckin' hide.”

“Let's do this,” she said, looking at him. “I'm willing to fight in your arena. In Portland, I've got nothing. Vampires and demons are  _afraid_  to go there. I've literally worked myself out of a job in my city. This is a dream come true for me. I get to kill demons, which is awesome. I get my fighting fix. And you get to make money on me. I'm only gonna be in town for a few more days but I'll definitely be your franchise player until then.” She grinned. “I just want my girls to be able to watch me fight. Let me go and spend my nights with them. You call or text me when my next fight is and I'll come running.”

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. “You give me your word if you get killed that I'm not to blame for it?”

“Tell you what.” Neo pulled her cell phone out and again dialed Talia and put it on speaker. “We'll get it ironed out.”

Jack, Neo, and Talia discussed it at length. He was pleased to learn that Talia backed him one hundred percent. He was taking dangerous beasts off the streets and pitting them against each other. She found it to be almost noble. Capitalistic as hell but noble.

He also got her promise that, since Neo was choosing to fight and not being forced to, that he would have nothing to fear from them.

She sat on the bench, wrapping her fists with the tape Jack provided for her. She flexed her fingers and nodded. She then lifted the special mixed martial arts gloves that Jack gave her. They were weighted to put her on even footing with the monsters she'd be fighting. She wanted to tell him that she wouldn't need them but some of the beasts looked like they had pretty hard heads.

She slid them on and cinched them tight. She smacked her fists into her palms and smiled. “Showtime,” she said, rising to her feet. She moved over to the staging point behind the heavy wooden doors. The pair of guards pushed them open and Neo stepped out, shaking her limbs and readying for the fight. She could see Baker across from her going through a warm-up routine. He let loose a quick flurry of punches and a couple of spin kicks. She watched his movements and immediately saw the patterns. “Thanks, asshole,” she said quietly to herself. She didn't move at all.

“Baker's challenger makes her ring debut tonight. She's a highly skilled fighter with an insatiable hunger for man screams. Let's welcome…Neo!” The crowd applauded.

Neo looked around at them and sighed. They'd more likely as not make the same kind of noise for a monkey fucking a football. She turned back to Baker and watched as he bobbed and weaved, changing positions.

She stepped out as he came in at her. She saw as his legs bend. She knew exactly what he was planning to do. As soon as his feet left the ground, she struck. She put all of her strength forward into her right leg. Her booted foot impacted with his stomach as he was airborne. He flew backward and crashed into the wall, sliding down to his butt. He was clearly dazed. She moved forward and gripped his throat, lifting him from the floor. He was a few inches shorter than her but weighed roughly the same. She held him aloft and hammered him in the stomach with thunderous rights.

His eyes rolled up into the back of his head. It was obvious that he was out. She lifted him over her head and carried him out into the middle of the arena. “Are you ready?” she shouted to the crowd.

“Killing blow! Killing blow!” they chanted.

She dropped Baker back first across her knee. His back cracked horribly. She then wrapped her arm around his neck and twisted. His limp body fell to the floor, lifeless. “Fuckin' pussy,” she said to his corpse. She moved back from him and grinned widely. “Thank you, thank you. I'm here all week.”

Jack looked on at the girl and couldn't help but smile. He looked at his brother Darin and patted the man on the back. “She's really,  _really_  good.”

Darin nodded and offered a like grin. “We are gonna be rich.”

The rest of the demons looked on from the darkness of the barracks. Neo turned and pointed to them all, a huge grin splitting her face. “You're all next.”

A lot of those gathered felt a rather significant chill run down their spines.


	27. Chapter 27

“Ow, fuck!” Neo snapped as Talia and Rain both fretted over her. “That fuckin' hurts.”

Talia, however, pressed harder upon the gash over her eye. “That's what you get for getting yourself involved in this stupidity,” the Watcher said, unsympathetically. “I told you that you were going to get yourself hurt.”

Rain giggled at the pair's antics. For the past week, Neo had been climbing into the underground arena and fighting unsanctioned cage fights with no less then nineteen other fighters. And the pair had watched every single one of Neo's fights apart from the first. Rain knew that Neo was capable of a lot but she had no idea that the girl was so… _brutal_. In Victorville, she'd been so busy firing her bow that she hadn't really had a chance to see. But now, in this particular venue, she could immediately tell why Neo was such a bane to the underworld. She was a force of nature, human or not. Rain, like so many others, didn't believe for one moment that Neo wasn't some sort of demonic hybrid. When Neo said that she'd run into her father, Rain had a million questions that she wanted to ask of the man.

Talia and Neo, however, continued their discussion. “You may not like that I'm fighting but I didn't hear you bitchin' when I came home and had your sexy British ass tore up from the floor up,” Neo countered.

“Sex with you has always been fantastic, Alice,” Talia returned, her tone softening. “You don't need to get yourself beaten bloody to give you any added avarice. You have plenty of that on your own.”

“Okay, then how about the money I'm makin'?” Neo asked. “I've pulled down a little over seven figures in the past week. That's a lot of bread.”

“Indeed it is but that doesn't make a damn bit of difference to me,” Talia said. “I'm independently wealthy besides what the website offers us all.” She looked Neo in the eyes. “What else have you got?”

The teen stared at her Watcher's. “I like doing it,” she said simply. “My last counselor once told me that I'm a creature of violence. I have to fight, Talia. Vampires, muggers, or even just some drunk rednecks on a Saturday night trolling for teen-snatch. Whatever the target, I  _have_  to fight. It's always been that way.”

“And there's nothing out there that you can take on besides this Rocky Balboa Picture Show?” Rain asked, somewhat seeing Talia's point.

Neo looked at her a moment. “I don't know the hotspots. Angel isn't keen on bringing us out to rough up the natives. He says he's got people down here gunnin' for him that makes the shit we deal with in Portland look like happy hour at a Gay Bar.”

“He did not say that,” Talia said, sharply.

“Fine, he said that they have some kind of demon-backing law firm down here that could cause a lot of trouble for girls like us. We're largely independent and Wolfram and Hart's reach is further than ours and their pockets are a lot deeper.” Neo offered.

“Demon lawyers?” Rain asked, a shudder running down her spine. “That's disturbing.”

“Yeah, tell me about it,” Neo said, nodding. “That shit scares even me.”

“ _That's_  saying something,” Talia said, moving closer to stitch up the gash across Neo's forehead. “How many fights do you have left?”

“Just one. Tomorrow night is my twenty-first. That's all they got me for.”

“Who is it against?” Talia asked her.

“Some gibroni named Val Trepkos.” Neo pulled her phone out and showed her a picture of him. “That's him.”

Rain and Talia both grimaced. “He's enormous,” Talia said, worried.

Rain's eyes told her everything she felt about the situation.

Neo grinned. “Will you two relax? The guys a fuckin' Sumptar Demon. Big, strong as shit but slow as a motherfucker.” She shook her head. “I'm not sweatin' the guy.”

Talia frowned even further. “He's a Sumptar Demon, you say?” At Neo's nod, she shook her head. “Then you know that his hide is incredibly durable, his muscle density is nearly twice that of human’s and he is double jointed in all of his extremities.”

“Really?” Rain asked, looking at her British lover. “You aren't serious.”

“As an aneurysm,” Talia said, her tone bitter.

“Oh, I didn't forget about that,” Neo said, shrugging. “But I've been watching his fights. He's not that good. No discipline, no real tactics when he fights. He's just a power machine. Nothing more, nothing less. He's not better a fighter than Angel and I  _know_  I can take him.”

“You cannot best Angel,” Talia said, matter-of-fact. “He's a two hundred plus-year-old vampire. He's got skills-,”

Neo interrupted her. “And despite all that, I floored his punk ass both times we sparred. He went game face and came at me with everything he had, and I _still_  whupped his ass.”

“Maybe we should have some faith in her, Talia,” Rain said, looking Neo over. “I mean, she's fought some pretty impressive opponents and the only blemish she has to show for it is a cut above her eye. That's pretty amazing.” She gave the bulky teen a smile. “She knows what she's capable of and can judge her adversaries pretty well.”

Talia sighed and shook her head. “You die on me and I'm going to be very cross.”

“Tell you what? If I do die on you, at least you'll be able to say 'I told you so',” Neo offered, grinning.

Talia leaned back and looked her in the eyes. “That wasn't funny.”

Neo bit her lip and nodded. “I'm sorry, baby.” She wrapped her arms around the elder woman. “I know you don't like it but this is a big payday, it's my last fight and it's something I wanna do.” She pulled Rain in and rested her head against the pair's stomachs. “I wish I didn't have to. Some days I wish I wasn't this person. I wish I wasn't this angry, this harsh, this… violence-obsessed. But it's a part of who I am. Lady Gaga said it; God makes no mistakes, I'm on the right track, baby. I was born this way.”

“Did…” Rain pulled back and looked down at her. “Did you just quote Lady Gaga? Seriously?”

“What?” Neo said, raising an eyebrow. “I can't like Lady Gaga?”

“No,” Rain said, shaking her head. “No you can't. You are a heavy metal singer, you do not, repeat  _do not_  listen to Lady Gaga.” Her face was stern for a heartbeat and a half. “Okay, Pokerface isn't bad but…”

“Dig that song,” Neo said, grinning.

“Please. Lady Gaga is just Elton John with breasts and a vagina,” Talia said as she moved away and began putting the first aid kit away. “He was flamboyant before flamboyant was popular.”

“He wasn't the only one,” Neo said. “Iggy Pop, Ian Hunter, Question Mark, David Bowie. They were all pretty out there.”

“I'm shocked you even know who Ian Hunter is,” Talia said, smiling.

“Any true rock fan is gonna know Mott the Hoople,” Neo said. “And Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars? That's classic shit right there.”

Rain just chuckled and sat down beside Neo on the bed. “You all are getting way too nerdy for me.”

“Let me guess, if it hasn't been produced in the past twenty years, you have no idea what it is, do you?” Neo asked her.

“Sadly,” Rain said. “I mean, I'm not Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears bad but…”

“Don't feel bad,” Neo said. “I wanna say that there's been some really great music to come out in the past couple of decades but…that's just bullshit.” She shook her head. “AC/DC, Rob Zombie, and a few outliers aside are about it. Even Aerosmith is getting kind of wussy. Their music kind of went the pop route.”

“Bound to happen,” Talia said, moving back to the girls after putting the first aid kit into the bathroom. “Enough talk about music,” she said as she began peeling Neo's tank top off. “I'd rather produce some of my own. But first, Rain and I have to uncase our instrument.”

Neo surrendered herself to her lover's hands. “This is gonna be fun.”

 

Cordelia walked into the massive building beside Angel and Wesley. “This is exciting,” she said, giddily. “I never would have thought I'd be excited by a demon pit fight but I have to admit, it's kind of intoxicating.”

Angel continued to scowl as he walked through the doors behind her. Wesley pushed his glasses up and looked about. “I know this is a terrible thing but…” He sighed. “There is a part of me that understands the reasoning and can even applaud it.”

Talia and Rain followed the pair, with Quan, Cerri, and the twins right behind. “At the very least, these particular demons are too busy thrashing each other and off the streets,” Talia said.

Rain shrugged. “I still think it's kind of mean to make them fight each other like this. I mean, it's imprisonment any way you look at it.”

“That's why I don't like it,” Angel said. “There are a lot of demons that are just trying to live normal lives. I don't know how it is in Portland but down here we don't attack and kill every demon we see.”

Cerri furrowed her brow. “We don't do that in Portland, either,” she said, somewhat bitterly.

Angel turned to look at her. “That isn't what I've heard.”

“Then get better sources,” Cerri returned. “And to be honest, you should be ashamed of yourself. You're a two hundred and fifty-year-old vampire. You've been around enough to know that you shouldn't believe everything you hear.”

Angel gave her one last look and turned his eyes back to the arena. Quan chuckled and moved up to the betting window. “Gimme a thousand bucks on Neo,” she said, happily.

“Pays out five to one.” The bookie said as he jotted the info down on her marker. “There you go.” He offered her the ticket. “Good luck.”

She nodded and moved back over with the crowd. “What do you girls think?” she asked the twins.

“We think Neo's going to rip this son of a bitch a new asshole and smile while she's doing it,” Sadiira said, simply. “Then we can move on. I hate this city.” She turned to look directly at Angel. “Religious figures included.”

He returned the girls' stare. He was probably the one person on the planet that wasn't intimidated by either of them. But with that said, he could see plainly why others were. It was mutually understood that the three would never be friends. The pair thought Angel far too soft to truly make a difference in Los Angeles. His city was larger, true but the fact remained that the supernatural element was drowning the city and Angel would never make any headway unless he was willing to be the monster they all knew him capable of being.

The pair said as much to him.

“Heroes aren't killers,” he said back to her.

“Tell that to the Punisher,” Sadiira said. “Look at Portland. It's nearly demon free. The paranormal is afraid to be there. The people can walk down the streets knowing they're safe.  _We_  gave them that. Here? It's a cesspool, the human element notwithstanding. And in the past, what? Eight, nine months, what have you managed to do? What kind of difference have you managed to make? From what I can see, all you've done is attracted the attention of some demonic law firm.” She shook her head. “That's not a real great start.”

“So you think, what? I should be like the lot of you? Going out into the night just slaughtering everything that isn't human?” Angel asked. “That's no way to clean up a town.”

“You wouldn't know it to look at the results.” Sadiira shot back. “Bottom line is this, Angel. You wanna be just that, an Angel. That's fine. It works… _for you_. But you gotta ask yourself a question – and be objective about it. What  _kind_  of Angel does this city really need?”

He hadn't had an answer for her. He still didn't. Angelus was a lot of things but he was no fool. He would have been able to take a town like this and clean it up from top to bottom by now. He wasn't afraid of getting bloody to make things clean. Yes, he would have more likely as not organized the vampire and demon population to actively hunt humans but at least he would have done  _something_. Angel and company were barely treading water. And what hurt worse was that the girls from Portland knew it, too.

The group was led to a table where they could watch the fight and cheer on their friend.

Neo bobbed on her feet and rolled her head around on her neck. She'd been allowed to wear her body armor and gloves for the final fight. Given that Trepkos was far more durable than she was, it was seen as evening the playing field. She was perfectly fine with that. “It's time.” The guard said, motioning her forward.

She grinned and nodded, following along. “You got any money placed?” She asked him.

“Yeah,” he said. “But not on you.”

“You bet on Trepkos?” she asked him. “That was stupid.”

“He's gonna mop the floor with you,” the man said. “He's bigger, stronger, and can take a lot more punishment than you can.” He regarded her. “You don't have a chance in hell.”

“If I had a nickel for every time I've heard that, I could retire and buy Idaho,” Neo said, shaking her head. “Well, your money.”

“Good luck,” he said, motioning to the door. “You're gonna need it.”

She stepped out into the arena and immediately searched the crowd. She stopped when she saw her party there to support her. She waved at them and received waves from everyone but Angel. She didn't really mind so much. The pair would never see eye to eye on pretty much anything.

Her attention was taken when Trepkos came out into the arena amid thunderous applause. She could tell that he was ready for their bout. His muscles twitched with anticipation. He stepped right up to her, his face a hair's breadth from hers. She noticed that he was significantly taller than she was, and a good deal broader. She didn't really give a shit. He wasn't the first big SOB she'd dealt with and he sure as hell wouldn't be the last.

“I'll kill you quick,” he said, his voice barely a whisper.

“Just bring your A-game, baldy. I don't want this to be over before I have a little fun,” she said back to him.

The announcer called the start to the match. Trepkos lashed out with a hard right cross that would have taken Neo's head off. His fist sailed past her face with barely enough room to slide a sheet of paper between.

Neo returned with a hard boot to the demon's crotch. She felt her foot connect square. She was shocked, however, when Trepkos growled but didn't go down. “Holy shit,” she said, before adding a sharp right hook to the mix, cracking him in the eye with her weighted glove. He spun in place, losing a hard backhand that impacted against Neo's cheek. She was staggered and thrown back against the wall. She shook the cobwebs from her head as he came back in, snarling.

She chuckled and stepped into his attack. His meaty fist came at her face again. She ducked beneath his swing, sidestepping. As his blow flew by, she wrapped her arm around the front of his chest and lifted him from the ground, slamming him down to the stone floor on his back. He let out a strangled grunt as he was hammered to the concrete. She rose to her feet and backed away from him. She could taste blood in her mouth. She spat a gobbet onto the floor and smiled as he slowly got to his feet.

“Did Neo just Rock-Bottom a demon?” Rain asked, watching the spectacle.

Quan nodded. “Yeah, she does that. I'm sure she's probably gonna suplex him at some point.”

“She's going to get herself killed,” Angel said, sourly. “She's toying with him and she shouldn't be.”

Cerri stepped up beside him. “You really don't know Neo that well,” she said, smiling. “This is where Neo belongs. She's more a part of this world than you are. As Angel, you've never truly embraced what you were.” She pointed to Neo. “She has. And now you're learning what kind of difference that makes.”

Angel watched as Trepkos lunged at her, looking to put her to the ground with a front kick.

Neo saw the move coming from a mile away. One of her best-learned lessons was to recognize the patterns in others' fighting technique. Trepkos was drawing from a lot of disciplines but was a master of none. So his attacks came without the precise control of a more gifted fighter.

As the kick came in, Neo dropped to a crouch and swept his leg from beneath him. He toppled over backward and to the floor. She quickly spun in the air and dropped her leg down across his chest, resulting in a wet  _crunch_. He hacked and spat blood into the air. Neo rolled onto her back and kicked herself to her feet. Trepkos, true to his breed, climbed back to a vertical base. “You'll have to do better,” he said, wiping his hand across his mouth.

“I'm just gettin' warmed up,” Neo said, sniggering. A sharp whistle caught both of their attention. A man tossed two long poles into the arena. “Ooh. Toys,” she said happily catching one of them. She noticed one end was sharpened into a point. She didn't care. She immediately broke the staff in half, spinning the broken pieces in her hands. “Alright, Slab Squatthrust, time for round two.”

Trepkos moved the staff in his hand like he was familiar with its use. “Now you die.” He lunged at her with the point leading.

Neo grinned and stood there. Everyone held their breath as the wickedly sharp wooden pole impacted her stomach…and shattered into a cloud of broken debris. She felt the blow keenly. She knew she was going be bruised to shit come morning but the armor had done its job. It kept her from being run through.

Trepkos stepped back, looking at the spear as if it had somehow betrayed him. That lapse cost him dearly.

“My turn,” Neo said. She then went on the attack. The twin clubs in her hand bludgeoned and beat Trepkos without mercy. He tried to fend her off but she was quicker than he would have thought possible. And it was obvious that she was familiar with his breed. She was attacking points on his muscled frame where his hide was at its thinnest; the ears, the temples and the sides of his neck.

She finished off by dipping and taking him across the back of the knees. She stood as he toppled backward. As he was falling, Neo spun and rammed the pointed end of her club into his throat. He hit the ground, gurgling and choking. She knelt beside him as he gasped his last. “Looks like your A-game was still an F, big guy.” She patted his cheek. “I'd say maybe next time but…” She reached up and gripped the wooden rod sticking out of his neck. She twisted it and pushed it in further. “Only winners get a 'next time'. You don't qualify.” She watched as the light faded from his eyes.

 

“You're a killer,” Angel said to Neo as Demon Queller stood ready to depart. “Brutality like that wasn't necessary. You had him beat. You didn't have to kill him.” Two days after the final fight with Trepkos and it was the first time Angel had spoken to the girl.

“You're right,” Neo said, crossing her arms. “I didn't. But I did anyway.”

“You're no better than the demons you fight,” he said, angrily.

“I think from the way the fights all went down, I'm a damn sight better than the demons I fought,” Neo said, smiling. “The fat stack of cash in my pocket is a pretty good visual aid.”

“You know what I mean,” he shot back. “We're supposed to be the good guys. Having morals, having a conscience is what separates us from them. You need to learn that.”

“Let me key you into something,  _Bruce_. You're losing the war because you think like that. You think we're better, you think we're loftier somehow. But that's all bullshit. Good or bad doesn't figure into it. Never has, never will. Because that ain't what it's about. It's about winning. It's about putting a stake, a knife, a sword, or a bullet into the other guy before he has the chance to do it to you. Get right down to it, slick, we're all killers. The only difference between me and you?” She shook her head. “Is that I ain't afraid of what lives inside me. I may not have a demon rolling around in my skin but I got somethin'. And I'm damn fond of it. Because it's made me who and what I am. And most of the time, I  _like_  who and what I am. It's allowed me to gain the love of two really, really fine women.”

“I don't want you in Los Angeles anymore,” Angel said, simply. He couldn't fault her logic. In fact, he agreed with most of it. But Neo was just  _bad news_ and…she creeped him out.

“Don't worry, tall dark and emo. This isn't exactly my scene. I prefer my heroes with less…brooding,” Neo said. “But that don't mean we ain't here if you need us. When you're tired of being bush league and wanna step up to the majors, give me a call. I can teach you how to loosen up.” She grinned and looked at Cordy. “Or maybe someone a little closer to home can.”

The ex-cheerleader looked at her with an incredulous expression.

“We've gotta get going,” Quan said, grabbing Neo by the arm. “Thanks for letting us rest up, Angel. We really do appreciate it.”

He just gave them all a nod.

As the girls left, Cordy turned to look at Angel. “Does her being violent really bother you that much?”

He continued to stare after the girls. “She reminds me far too much of my past.”

“She's not Angelus, Angel,” Wesley offered.

He turned and looked intently at the pair. “Not yet,” he said, before turning and heading into the office.


	28. Chapter 28

“Did you really?” Neo asked as she sat behind the wheel of the massive Ford truck. The trailer rolled along behind her. Talia sat in the passenger seat while Rain relaxed in the back.

“Yes. I did really get us a gig at The Bronze,” Cerri said from her spot beside Quan in their newest vehicle. Before leaving town, they'd traded off the Police Cruiser and purchased another Ford Raptor SVT to replace the one that had been destroyed in Victorville. The petite drummer could see that Quan was nowhere near as happy with the truck as she was with the one that the girls from the site had gotten for her. “It's a quick one night. The owner was desperate. When he heard we were gonna be in town, he was willing to cough up five grand.”

“That's a lot of money, Neo,” Rain said from her spot in the back seat. Talia nodded her agreement.

“But you guys know how I feel about Sunnydale,” Neo said, groaning. She'd already resigned herself to the fact that they were going and there was nothing she could do about it. She just didn't like the idea. Her and Buffy, well…it was safe to say the pair didn't get along.

“We're playing the Bronze, going back to the hotel, and leaving town,” Cerri said over the hands-free. “We don't even need to interact with the crew there whatsoever.”

“And if they come to the Bronze and see us play? What then?” the potential asked.

“Then we play our set and go back to the hotel,” Talia said. “It's not that complicated.”

“That's easy for you to say,” Neo said. “I can't stand that blonde bitch. She gets in my face I'm gonna fuck her world up.”

“Isn't Buffy a slayer?” Rain asked. “I've seen some of her videos on the website.”

“Yeah. She's Slayer One,” Neo offered. “She and I threw down. She pussied out and called it quits.” The girl chuckled. “You keep going, I'm gonna end up killing you,” she said in a mocking whiney voice. “Pussy ass bitch.”

Rain and Talia both looked at her incredulously. “You think her a coward because she didn't want to beat you to death?” Talia asked her. “Sounds to me like she was the one showing a bit more sense.”

“Yeah, whatever. The way I see it, she got a taste of what I had and realized that I wasn't just another undead sack of crap that drops when she brings out the flashy moves. I was willing to get down and dirty and put her ass through the street,” Neo said. “She chickened out and called it. I didn't. She tapped out first. Means I win.”

“You're…just a little crazy, aren't you?” Rain asked her. Truthfully, she actually liked this confidence that Neo exuded. To know that nothing and no one scared the girl was nice to see. Rain had been afraid a lot of her life. To know that the supernatural threat was real – and doing her best until recently to avoid it – had her frightened a lot. Having someone like Neo in her life, someone that radiated just a simple 'I'm a fucking badass and I know it' mentality went a long way to boost her own confidence. With Neo by her side, Rain felt like she could conquer anything. And with the training she was receiving from Talia, she would be able to be an asset instead of a liability.

Neo looked in the rearview at the girl to see her smiling. “Me?” She chuckled. “I'm  _a lot_  crazy.” She turned to stare at Talia. “Just ask my Watcher.”

“Certifiable,” Talia said, chuckling. “But that is one of the reasons we love her, isn't it?”

Rain nodded and settled back for the drive to Sunnydale. “Definitely makes things interesting.”

They checked into the hotel just after noon. The New Sunnydale Arms was the only four-star hotel in the city. Frankly, Neo was shocked that Sunnydale even  _had_  a four star. They'd gotten three standard rooms and went upstairs to unwind a bit.

Neo paced back and forth as both Rain and Talia sat on the sofa watching television. Their set wasn't until tomorrow night. “Why are you so nervous?” Rain asked her.

“I just don't like this place. I really wanna get out and patrol,” Neo said. “But I just know my luck. I'm gonna run into  _her_.”

“From the look on your face, you see that as a good thing, don't you?” Talia asked her.

Neo couldn't hide the smile. “That obvious, huh?”

“Why do you wanna fight her so bad?” Rain asked.

“Because I don't like her attitude. I don't like the way she operates. I think she's bush league, despite how long she's been doing this. She needs a fuckin' wake-up call.” Neo leaned against the wall, crossing her arms over her chest. “She needs to go head to head with someone that isn't afraid of her.”

“I'm pretty sure she has,” Talia said. “Most vampires that engage her aren't afraid of her until she proves she's more than a match for them.”

“There's a difference between them and me,” Neo said. “The vampires she tangles with are fighting for their lives.” She shook her head. “I'm not. I'm fighting because I think it's fun. I wanna try her on again just because I like being able to be better. And until she's willing to put me down so hard I'm not able to get back up, I still think I'm better.”

Talia sighed and shook her head. “Alice…” She rose to her feet. She moved over and took hold of the girl's hands. “At the risk of pissing you off?” She looked into the Potential's eyes. “Buffy would kick the snot out of you.”

Neo narrowed her eyes. “You really think so?”

“She's a slayer. She's stronger, faster, and has a great deal more endurance than you do. You have the edge as far as training goes, I'll not debate that but…”

“You gotta remember something, Tal. I take on shit that's stronger and faster than me all the time,” Neo said. “Yeah, I'm betting she can put a lot more hurt on me but I've got an edge she doesn't have. I'm willing to go the distance. The  _full_  distance.” She shook her head. “She's not. We go head up, she'll always keep something in reserve. She'll be afraid of going all the way.”

“If you already know that, why the need to take her on again?” Rain asked.

The phone ringing stole their attention. Rain immediately picked it up from her spot on the sofa. “Hello?” She listened and immediately looked to Neo. “Okay. Send her up.” She set the phone down. “You're not going to believe this.” She chuckled nervously. “Buffy's here. She's coming up to the room.”

Neo grinned widely. “Speak of the devil.”

“Keep yourself calm,” Talia said. “I mean it. I'll sedate you if I have to.”

“I just wanna know how she found us,” Rain said.

“More than likely Angel balled us out. Told her that we were headed north. That and Cerri probably put it out on the website that we were doing a show at the Bronze tomorrow night. Buffy and Willow follow the site,” Neo said. The knock on the door caused her to grin widely. She rolled her head about on her shoulders and pulled the door open. “Well if it isn't Scrawny the Vampire Slayer.”

“Christ, Neo,” Talia said, rubbing her face in her hands.

“I'm not scrawny. I'm pleasantly slim,” Buffy said, frowning.

“I've seen twelve-year-old Chinese boys with more curves,” Neo said. “I think Cerri's tits are bigger than yours.”

Buffy crossed her arms and pouted at the thickly built potential. “I'll have you know I have a B cup.”

Neo gripped her own breasts. “D's baby.”

“You're also a refrigerator with a head,” Buffy said. “I eat like a horse and can't gain weight for shit.”

Neo stepped aside, letting her in. “You tried weight gain powder?”

“Can't stand the way it makes my food taste,” Buffy said, honestly. “I did a bit of that when I was cheerleading back in high school. Before I was called. I was like, ninety-three pounds.” She chuckled. “Back then, I had no tits to speak of.” She looked down the front of her sleeveless shirt. “But I have boobies now.”

Neo shrugged. “I prefer my girls with sizable fun bags.” She motioned to Talia and Rain. “Case in point.”

Buffy looked at the pair of women. “Okay, hers I'll give you,” she said pointing to Rain. “But  _hers_  aren't that much bigger than mine.” Indicating the Watcher.

“I'm a C-cup, I'll have you know,” Talia said, proudly. “Bigger is bigger.”

Rain raised her hand, causing everyone to look at her. “No offense but…why do you care if Neo thinks you have nice breasts or not?”

The question was like an elephant in the room. Neo turned back to Buffy. “She's got a point. I mean, yeah, I'd fuck you stupid but you already got a boyfriend.”

“I know,” Buffy said, indignantly. “So…just shut up.”

Neo chuckled and motioned to the sofa. “You obviously had something on your mind.”

“Who are you two, anyway?” Buffy asked.

“I'm Talia Turner, Alice's Watcher.” She offered her hand to the slayer. “I've heard quite a bit about you. You've got quite a reputation with the council.”

“Yeah, I'll just bet I do,” Buffy said, stifling a snicker.

“I'm Rain.” Like Talia, she offered her hand. “I'm a potential, just like Neo,” she said. “Well, not exactly like Neo.”

“Trust me, girl. There's  _no one_  like Neo,” Buffy said. “But it's nice to meet you. Would the two of you be willing to give us the room?”

“That depends. Are you two going to play nice?” Talia asked, again crossing her arms.

“If we get into it, we'll be nice and take it outside,” Buffy said, looking at Neo.

It didn't exactly settle Talia's nerves that Buffy accepted wholeheartedly that a fight between the two was a likely outcome. But she had to take what she could get. She looked to Rain and offered her hand. “Come along, sweetie. Let us find a place to get something to eat.”

“Bring me back a burger and fries,” Neo said, opening the door for the pair.

“Remember what I said about her,” Talia said. “I'm not joking, Alice.”

Neo stared into her eyes and pulled her in for a kiss. “I will.” She then did the same with Rain. “Take care of our Watcher.”

“Be careful,” Rain said. “And I put my money on you all the way.” She whispered into Neo's ear. “Always will.” She gave the girl another kiss before leaving the room, closing the door behind them.

For several seconds neither said anything. Buffy took a seat on the sofa. Neo grabbed a chair from the table and straddled the back of it. “You wanted to talk, so talk.”

Buffy stared into her eyes. “What's the real reason you're here?”

“Exactly what it says on the tin,” Neo said. “We're doing a show at the Bronze.” Her grin did little to assuage Buffy's curiosity.

“That explains why  _the band_  is here.” She pointed to Neo. “Why are  _you_  here?”

“I’m their singer. Don’t necessarily see them performing without me. I had my choice, we’d have ripped past this burg and been further north.” She shook her head. “Wasn’t my choice.”

“It could have been. You’re the leader of the band,” Buffy said. “You’re itching for a rematch.”

“Good to know that with you, blonde is just a hair color.” She chuckled. “You’re absolutely right. I think I can take you.”

“What?” Buffy asked her. “You’re out of your mind if you really believe that. Faith is a slayer and she couldn’t take me.”

“That’s Faith,” Neo said. “Way I hear it, Alexia whupped your ass all over Giles’ apartment. And I know _for a fact_ I can smoke slayer junior.” She leaned back, stretching her back. “Way I see it, last time we went head up, you tapped first. I was willing to play all nine innings but you called it quits.”

Buffy just stared at her incredulously. “I can't believe you.”

“That fear I see in your eyes, Barbie?” Neo asked. “You have all that strength, speed, and endurance and still couldn't put me away. That’s gotta grind your gears.”

“Because I tend not to like to kill people,” Buffy said. “Unless they're vampires.”

Neo shook her head. “Unless you're fuckin' him. Then it doesn't matter how dead he is, right?”

“You really don't have any room to talk. Look at Max,” Buffy said, trying to hide her anger.

“You're ignoring a pretty glaring difference between tall dark and mopey and Max, blondie. Max never spent a century and a half making a name as the terror of Europe. She also didn't fuck you, lose her soul, and spend months terrorizing the town because you were too much of a fuckin' pussy to put her down.” She cocked her head. “Max was never a monster, to begin with. Angel was cursed with a soul. Makes him a wolf in sheep's clothing.”

“Imagine if you loved someone,” Buffy said. “Talia, for example. If something happened to her and you had to make a choice, could you?”

“In a New York minute,” Neo said. “But it wouldn’t be Talia I was killing. It would just be a demon in a Talia suit. She’d already be dead. I’d just be taking out the thief that stole her skin. And I'd kill her with the quickness to keep her from hurting the other people I love and care about. She’d want me to.” She stared into Buffy's surprised eyes. “I'd do it because it's my _job_. It’s what I signed on for. Just like killing Angelus was yours.”

“I knew we could find a way to help him,” Buffy said. “That's what I was waiting for.”

“That's bullshit and you fuckin' know it,” Neo said. “You didn't kill him because you were a pussy and couldn't see past the pretty face.” She rose to her feet. “You did nothing while he killed people, tortured your watcher, and tormented your friends.”

Buffy got up to face her. “It must be really easy for you to be such a callous bitch. But for those of us that can find it in ourselves to actually  _give a damn_  about something, it's not as easy.”

“Sounds a lot like excuses to me,” Neo said. “I love Talia. I love Rain. I love the girls. But I'm not for a second gonna let them run loose killing people because I can remember how their tongues feel on my pussy. Monster is a monster.”

“Max is a vampire,” Buffy said. “She's a monster. Nothing will change that. Just because she has a soul-,”

“Same could be said for Angel,” Neo said. “But I don't look at what you are. I told you that last time I came to Sunnydale. Both Oz and Veruca were werewolves. But Veruca was the monster. Oz wasn't. Why do you think I handed him over to you? What you are doesn't make you a monster. Never has. It's about what you do with it. There are demons that are cool in my book. And there are human beings that I've taken out because they're just monsters with human faces.”

Buffy's eyes dilated. “You've actually murdered people?”

“Shit. I've probably killed more humans than Angel,” Neo admitted. “Definitely more than Faith.”

“You…you're just a murderer,” Buffy said, disgust on her face.

“Never killed someone that didn't deserve it,” Neo said. “And before you try giving me that whole 'it isn't our place, blah, blah, blah' the way I see it, if they step into my crosshairs and are trying to kill people, they're fair game.”

“That's what the police are for,” Buffy said.

“Whatever,” Neo said.

“You killed people and you don't care?”

“Not really, no,” Neo said. “Do you cry over every cow that's killed when you're eating a roast beef sandwich or a cheeseburger?”

“I can't believe you,” Buffy said. “You were right. You and I  _aren't_  on the same side.”

“Glad to see you're catching on.” Neo offered. “I do what's necessary. I said it before. Good and evil, right or wrong doesn't enter into it. It's about what _has_  to be done. Bottom line. I'm willing to make the choices that need making. You're not. That's why you'll always be a substandard slayer.” She stepped up to Buffy. “That's what makes me ten times the slayer you'll  _ever_  be, superpowers or not.”

“You really think you have what it takes to put me away, don't you?” Buffy asked. She was getting really tired of the girl's constant self-aggrandizing.

“I know I can,” Neo said. “Because you don't have it in you to go full tilt. No matter how pissed you get at me?” She shook her head. “You won't unload with everything you have. You'll be too scared of what you can do. You aren't a monster.” She leaned her face to within inches of Buffy's. “I am.”

It was the last thing she said as Buffy's hand snapped up and gripped her throat. “You know…” She growled. “I'm getting  _real_  tired of people telling me that.” She tightened her hold and lifted the potential from the floor, holding her a few inches from the ground. Neo tried to pry Buffy's hand from her neck but couldn't. Buffy's anger subsided as she saw the larger girl… smiling at her.

“That's what I was looking for,” Neo croaked. Her hand slammed into Buffy's windpipe, just below her chin.

The slayer dropped her, backing away and coughing. Neo fell to the floor and spun, burying her heel in the blonde slayer's gut, hurling her backward over the sofa and to the floor beyond.

Buffy, still struggling to breathe, crashed to the carpet and rolled to a stop. Her neck and stomach were on fire.

Neo took the sofa in a single leap. She loomed over the smaller girl. “Come on,  _Slayer One_. Show me what being a slayer is all about.”

Buffy got to her hands and knees, trying not to throw up. She clenched her fists and rose to her feet. She stood, glaring up into the potential's eyes. “Why do you want this so badly?” She said, her voice a touch hoarse. She noticed, sadly that Neo's voice wasn't roughened at all by the chokehold she'd endured a moment earlier.

“Because I’m tired of you being labeled as the golden standard. It’s a title you don’t deserve,” Neo said, grinning. “And I wanna be the one that makes you see it.”

Buffy shook her head. “That isn't what this is about.”

“Really?” Neo asked, snidely. “Seems to be what it's  _all_  about to me. You're supposed to be the best. You were supposed to set the bar. You said it yourself, Faith couldn’t take you. I know Faith can kick my ass. Because she isn't afraid of herself. She'd put me down and make sure I stayed there. So would Steele. I know bigger, meaner predators when I see 'em.” She shook her head. “But you? You're so busy trying  _not_  to be a slayer that you sacrifice what you could be for what you wish you could be.”

“And what do I wish I could be?” Buffy asked her hands on her hips.

“Normal,” Neo said. “You can't accept the fact that you are never,  _ever_  going to be normal again. You want the typical 1950's American dream. A man to take care of you while you're barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen with a white picket fence and two-point-three children. You want a life you'll never have. But you're either too stupid or too much of a pussy to get it through your head.”

“So what, I just give up wanting a life and be like you? Just moving from place to place, slaughtering monsters and killing anyone that disagrees with me?”

“You will  _never_  have the balls to be like me,” Neo said, with a derisive snort. “Let's just get that shit cleared up. And for the record, I don't kill people that disagree with me. Talia and I argue all the fuckin' time. But I still love her to death and fuck the shit out of her every chance I get. But you don't need to be like me. You just need to stop being afraid of what you are.”

“I'm not a killer, Neo.”

“Never said you had to be.” The girl said. “But you best stop thinking of yourself as a human being, because you're not. You ain't a typical college girl. You have to stop thinking like one. There's something inside you…” She tapped Buffy's chest. “Something in here that the powers that be saw. Something that made them pick you. When I look at Alexia, Faith, and Steele, I can see it, plain as day. I know why they were chosen.”

“Enlighten me,” Buffy said. “A boneheaded teenage free runner, a street girl from Boston with anger management issues and a hillbilly from Nebraska.”

“Alexia is obvious. She was called because she understands revenge better than just about anyone I know. Steele is all about the kill. She's cold and doesn't care about anything but getting the job done. That's all she's ever given a damn about.”

“What about Faith?” Buffy asked.

“She's a lot like me. A little tamer, maybe. She loves the fight. Slaying is something that she's good at and she knows it. She's got what it takes to get the job done and not sweat the small shit. She can't think of anything in her life she'd rather be doing.”

“Then why haven't you been called? When Alexia died in Metaline, why weren't you chosen?”

Neo grinned. “Because the powers that be are afraid of me.”

“Oh, please,” Buffy said, crossing her arms.

“From their own mouths, sweetheart,” Neo offered. “They said I'll never be called because I don't need to be. I'm as strong as is necessary for what I do.”

Buffy stared at her. She desperately wanted to doubt but there was something in the way she said it that made Buffy a believer. “What, did you have a slayer dream or something?”

“Good a description as any,” Neo said to her. “They told me that being called as a slayer wouldn't really be a benefit to me. It  _couldn't_  make me any more dangerous.”

“That's bullshit,” Buffy said. “Just being a human girl, you can ring my bell. Even when Riley and I spar, he doesn't hit that hard.”

“That's because he's a pussy,” Neo said.

“I bet he could give you a run for your money,” Buffy said. “He's military trained.”

“I know. He's a part of the Initiative.”

“How do you know that?” Buffy asked her.

“I'm smarter than I look,” Neo said to her. She shrugged her shoulders and smiled. “So we gonna do this?”

Buffy shook her head. “No. We're not,” she said, heading to the door.

“You know, this is the second time you've wussed out on me,” Neo said to her. “Don't you wanna know if you're the better woman?”

Buffy turned and looked at her. “I don't need to fight with you to know that. I know I'm the better woman. I'm the better  _person_. Because you're not a person, Neo. You're something else. I don't know what but you're not human. I don't think you ever were. But you were right. You  _are_  ten times the slayer I'll ever be. But only as  _you_  define it. To you, being a slayer is the same as being a killer, a monster that hunts and kills other monsters, regardless of whether they're actually monsters or not. You're a vile thing that has no humanity left. By your logic, you're way better at it that I could ever hope to be. But that's what makes me okay with what I am. I'm what a slayer is  _supposed_  to be. Something that hunts monsters and kills them but can still act and think like a human. Something that can protect humanity because I'm still a part of it.”

“Justify it any way you want,” Neo said. “Fact of the matter is-,”

“The fact of the matter is,” Buffy said, cutting her off. “That I don't have to be like you, I don't have to be a heartless, conscienceless killing machine to be good at what I do.” She grinned. “But you do. Because without the anger, without the hatred and without the psychotic,” She shook her head. “You're just a little girl wishing she was something that she'll never be.” With that, she left the room.

Neo could feel the rage boiling in her. She stared at the door as it closed. There was no doubt in her mind that she would be able to tear the blonde limb from limb, slayer or not.

The sad part of that was that Buffy didn't really give a shit.

Not only that but the girl was right. Neo would never be a slayer if the powers that be had their way. So she used her anger, her rage, and her fearlessness to fuel her own war. But the sad fact was that she was just compensating. She was trying to force herself to take what Buffy, Alexia, Faith, and Steele had been freely given.

She moved over and flopped down onto the sofa and tried to calm herself. Suddenly, she needed her ladies more than ever.


	29. Chapter 29

Both Talia and Rain, upon returning to the hotel room, could see that Neo was beyond pissed. “Are you alright?” Talia asked, setting the food down on the coffee table and moving to sit beside her potential.

“More or less,” Neo returned. “Buffy raised some really good points.” Tears began forming. “Am I a fuckin' joke, Tal?” She looked at her girls. “Am I just a fuckin' wannabe, playing at the slayer game?”

Rain furrowed her brow. She moved over, slid the coffee table closer and sat on it, staring into Neo's eyes. “What did she say to you?” It bothered her to no end to see the cocksure potential doubting herself. Self-loathing was not something Neo partook in. No matter what was said or done. Seeing the girl this distraught really hurt her.

Neo sighed and regaled them with the conversation. In essence, she was a monster and a killer because it was the only way she could compensate for not being what she so desperately wanted to be.

As she wrapped up, Talia gave a bit of shrug. “She does raise a valid point. Your aggression and rage are what gives you your edge. You'll never be as strong or as fast as a slayer, at least from what you've revealed the powers that be said to you. But I-,”

“No,” Rain said, interrupting. “Buffy's full of shit.”

Both women looked at her. “How do you figure?” Neo asked her.

“What she did was classic redirection. It's Psychology one-oh-one. Look at what you do, or in this case, _don't_ do. You don't kill Max. Why? Because she isn't a monster. She's just a dead teenage gearhead, from what you say about her. You didn't kill Angel. Why? Because he' a repentant vampire that, at the moment, isn't a monster. I mean, if he ever loses his soul, all bets are off but until that happens?” She shook her head. “You're content to leave him alone. And then there's…what was his name? The werewolf kid?”

“Oz,” Neo reminded her. “Good kid. Took precautions and kept his shit in check. I had no issue with him.”

“There it is,” Rain said. “You've already proven that you don't do what Buffy was accusing you of doing. You only kill  _monsters_. Human, demon, vampire, whatever. You take them out because they prey on fear and pain. Just like the slayer is supposed to be doing. But Buffy constantly has a reason, an excuse  _not_ to go the distance. You said it yourself. She's  _afraid_  of what she is. She's been a slayer for years and she still can't get past the fact that she's going to be a slayer for the rest of her life.”

Talia furrowed her brow. “But Buffy was sort of right. When you take away the anger, the aggression, and the fearlessness, what's left?”

Rain looked at Talia. “Let me ask you a question.” She grinned widely. “Since being together with Neo, how many times have you gone hoarse in the bedroom?” The British woman blushed. “No anger or rage there, is there? With us, in bed, Neo isn't Neo. She's Alice Frog. Daughter of Edgar Frog. She was raised to fight monsters because her father did. He taught her because the night is dark and full of terrors.”

Neo chuckled. “Nerd.” Talia likewise snickered.

“Game of Thrones rules, what?” Rain said. “Bottom line, Neo?” She smiled. “Buffy is jealous of you. You also confuse the shit out of her and she can't stand that.”

“Why would she be jealous of Alice?” Talia asked.

“Simple. Buffy has been slaying for what? Almost five years now? She's got superhuman powers and all the trappings that go with being a slayer. Yet day in and day out demons, vampires, and who knows what else always try her on. Just to see if they can take her.” She looked at Neo. “How many times in the past five years has a demon come up to you and said they want a piece of you?”

Neo actually thought about it. “Before I met up with Quan and the girls, I would get tested all the time. But in the past year? I can’t remember any. I mean, aside from those vampires in Portland after we got back from here a few weeks ago.” She shrugged. “But I don't really think they knew who I was or who _we_ were. They just knew what was on the tin.”

“Exactly. Had they known, the chances are probably pretty good they'd have left all of you alone. Portland is one of the safest cities in the country because of you. Just the mere _thought_  of you girls being there spooks the shit out of a lot of monsters. You've heard Steele, Max, and Shelby. Nothing has happened since you've left. Because things are afraid to try their hand.” She shook her head. “Buffy has to be a slayer…” She pointed at Neo. “To keep up with  _you_.”

Neo stared at her and gave the words some thought. “Fuck me.”

“She played you. You were willing to go the distance. She wasn't. And instead of accepting the fact that she didn't have what it takes to embrace what she was, she turned it around on you and made you feel sorry for and angry at yourself.”

“Bloody hell,” Talia said, looking at Neo. “She's right.”

“But how do I confuse her?” Neo asked.

“Because you, for all intents and purposes, are normal. You don't  _have_  to do this. You choose to. You can walk away at any time but you don't. She doesn't get that. It's made worse by the fact that as a slayer – superpowers or not – you are way,  _way_  better at it than she is. That hurts her. It bothers her. And it also confuses her. She doesn't understand how someone that has nothing but training and willpower can step into the ring with the same superhuman shit that she does, and not only survive but mow through it. You take on vampires and demons that are sometimes three and four times stronger and faster than you. And you mop the floor with them. You let nothing,  _absolutely nothing_  stand in your way. She doesn't have it in her to embrace the fight that thoroughly.”

“She can't wrap her head around why I do this?”

Rain nodded. “Or how you're so much better at it than she is.” She shrugged. “Just like every other supernatural beast out there that's crossed paths with you, she's afraid of you. She's afraid of what she'll  _have_  to do to put you away. And she knows that she's too timid to go through with it. You can't beat her _physically_ , and she knows that. Hell, I think deep down, so do you. But you aren't just about the physical. You also wage a mental war. The stories you've told me about what you've done to vampires to  _send a message_  proves that you understand psychological warfare when it comes to predators. And that's the arena you chose to engage Buffy in.” She smiled brightly. “And you completely kicked her ass.”

Neo stared into the girl's eyes. She looked at Talia. “You're supposed to be my Watcher. How come you didn't tell me that?”

Talia looked at her sadly. “Because I'm an idiot sometimes, Alice.” She took the girl's hand. “I didn't think on it like that. But she is right.” She looked at Rain. “I knew there was a reason we were falling for her.”

Neo looked at her. “You're one smart geek, you know that? How'd you figure out all that psycho-babble bullshit anyway?”

“I owned the Mentalist on DVD,” Rain said, deadpan.

 

Buffy backed against the wall of the mausoleum. She reached back to pull the spare stake from her belt…and found it gone. “Terrific,” she said, sadly. She counted five vampires total coming toward her. She'd already taken two of the nest. She silently berated herself for being so careless. She'd thought she had plenty of weapons on her. “Now I know why Riley and Alexia wear assault vests,” she said to herself.

“Slayer.” A vampire with a horrible Hawaiian shirt offered with a predatory grin. “Looks like you bit off a little more than you could slay.” His companions were likewise grinning, savoring the meal to come.

“Some people say that Slayer blood is the sweetest of all,” another said. His shaggy hair hung in greasy strands about his head and neck.

“Really I'm just skin and bones,” Buffy said, starting to panic. “You guys might wanna try a nice crunchy co-ed.”

“That's dessert,” Hawaiian shirt offered. “You're the main course.” He lunged at Buffy, growling.

She stepped forward and planted a hard boot into his gut. He staggered to a stop and doubled over. She gripped his head and brought her knee up, smashing his nose and splaying it across his cheek. She then twisted his neck, snapping it with a sick  _crunch_. She then threw him aside as another demon came at her. She spun, taking him across the teeth with a lightning fast reverse spin kick. He was lifted from his feet and spun about before he fell to the grass, dazed.

A third and fourth vampire went at her simultaneously. One went low, wrapping his arms around her legs while the other jumped and landed a hammer-like blow to the side of her face. Stars erupted behind her eyes as she was thrown to the ground.

She stared up at the vampire as he landed on her chest, his knees pinning her shoulders to the grass. “I don't suppose we could talk about this,” she said, giving him her best smile.

“Sure. I'm gonna take a bite out of ya. Then my boys are gonna get a taste. You messed a couple of 'em up. Figured they should have something to show for it.” He cocked his head. “What are your thoughts on that?”

Three vampires stepped up and loomed over her. “Can't say that I'm exactly thrilled with it,” Buffy said, her voice small. She was stupid for thinking she could take on seven vampires by herself. She finally understood why Alexia, Kat, and Faith always went as a team. No one ever went slaying alone in Point Defiance.

“Don't worry. It'll only hurt for a minute,” he said, leaning down with his teeth bared.

“You know,” a sharp female voice called out from a few feet away. They all turned to see the Hawaiian shirt disappear in a cloud of dust. “Blondie's got a point. She's all skin and bones. Girl tops out at what? Buck ten, buck fifteen?” The girl stepped out of the darkness, wearing what looked to be black body armor and an assault vest. She was thick and tall, standing nearly six feet in her heavy black combat boots. Her long dark hair was tied back into a tight ponytail and her face carried an amused smirk.

But it was her eyes that made all of the undead stalkers take notice. Her deep, dark pools looked at them all…as would a lioness stare down a gazelle. It was obvious to all of them that this woman was an apex predator. “Who are you?” The vampire sitting upon Buffy asked.

Buffy, for her part, was as conflicted as it got. On the one hand, she was grateful for the assistance. Simply put, these vampires had gotten the drop on her. She wasn't prepared for how many she found and bullheaded pride kept her from retreating to fight another day.

On the other hand, however, she was not at all thrilled about who was coming to her rescue. Just a couple hours before, the pair had shared a rather heated conversation. And now, here Buffy was…beholden to the young potential for saving her extremely experienced slayer ass.

“Me?” the girl asked. “I'm nobody important.” She looked to Buffy with a smile. “At least not here.” She pointed to the slayer. “Let her up. She's not the one that's a threat.”

“She's the slayer,” one of the vamps said.

“No.” The muscular girl shook her head. “She's  _a_  slayer. Right now there are what? Three, four more just like her? She's run of the mill now, boys. She's lost all the uniqueness she ever had.” She chuckled. “And besides. Who gives a shit if she's a slayer or not? How many have there been through history? Hundreds? Thousands? And they always die wicked young, don't they? Doesn't that kind of prove they really ain't all that special?”

“You saying you are?” the last vampire to speak stepped up to her. “What makes you so different from her?”

The girl snatched a stake and rammed it through the vampire's eye. He screamed and slapped his hands to the grievous wound. She then punched the wood into his mouth, forcing it out through the back of his head. She knew the blows wouldn't kill him but she did know that vampires, dead or not, still felt pain. Evidenced as he roared and gagged, blood flooding from the injuries. She gripped his throat, tugged him closer and spun him about, pressing his back against her chest. “I'm special because  _I'm_  one of a kind.” She struck the vampire in the chest, dusting him. “They call me Neo Knight.”

The vampire that still sat upon Buffy stared at her, not understanding. The other two vampires, however, understood just fine. “Oh, shit.” One of them said as they both backed away. “We thought you stuck to Portland.”

“Did,” Neo said, strolling forward, spinning the stake in her hand as if she hadn't a care in the world. “But got kinda bored. So I decided to take my act on the road. Word has it that the slayer was dropping the ball.” She motioned around. “Obviously. So I decided to come in off the bench and show her how it's done.” She reached into her vest and pulled a second stake.

Buffy cleared her throat. “You were trying to kill me, remember?”

“Yeah, what's the big deal?” the vampire atop her asked. He looked at the blonde. “You know this bitch?”

“You've never heard of Neo Knight?” another vampire asked him. “Fuck, are you new. Most dangerous fuckin' bitch on the planet.”

“She a slayer?” the lead vamp asked.

“No one knows.” The vampire looked at her. “Are you?”

Neo grinned as she juggled the stakes. “You wish, grave dirt. I'm something all together more dangerous.” She caught a stake and pointed it at Buffy. “The people that made her?” She then tapped her own chest with the tip of the wood. “Are afraid of me.”

“I heard she was half demon.”

“I've heard that, too,” Neo said. “Not a bad theory, you get right down to it.”

“She's just a human,” Buffy said. “She's not special in any way, shape or form.” She glared at Neo. “She's not a slayer or anything else.”

“Then why are you on the ground and she's standing there grinning like a fuckin' jackal?” One of the scared vamps asked the blonde. “Look, tiny. You're Buffy Summers. The underworld knows about you. We all know your name. And every one of us wants a piece of you.” He pointed to Neo. “But we also know  _her_  name. And we all fear it. Because of what you're seeing right fuckin' now. She gets off on killing us. You saw what she did to Toby. She's a fuckin' monster. You're just a slutty blonde with a hero complex.”

“I'm not _slutty_ ,” Buffy said.

“Shut up,” the vamp on her said, drilling her across the teeth. She nearly blacked out from the strike. He then turned back to the pair. “I don't see what there is to be afraid of. She's just a chick.”

Neo chuckled. “Watch and learn,” she said to him. She then turned to the pair of vamps. “What do you boys say?” She tossed the stakes into the air and caught the tips. “You wanna shot at the title?”

“Fuck no!” the vampire said. The pair turned and legged it.

Neo chuckled as she took a step and threw the stake in her right hand at the first vampire while casually tossing the stake in her left hand into the air. The right projectile sank into the demon's back, dusting him quickly. She then snatched the second stake from the air with her right hand and let fly. Like its predecessor, the wooden missile flew straight and true. The vampire was gone in a rush of ashen dust.

That left one. Buffy, from her place on the ground, was completely and utterly flabbergasted. She also felt more than a little neglected as the vampire that straddled her rose to his feet, ignoring her. He turned to face Neo. “They were rookies. I've been around the block a few times.”

“If I had a dollar every time I heard that…” Neo frowned. “I'd probably only have about eight or nine bucks by now, to be honest. Don't really hear that much. Normally it's 'I've got a bit more experience under my belt' or 'I'm a bit more aged'.” She grinned. “I kinda like that one, though. Makes vampires think they're all sophisticated and shit.”

“You're staring death in the face and you're making jokes?” the vamp asked her. “You should really take this more seriously.”

“Why?” she asked, laughing. “You're just a fuckin' vampire. I could stake you through the heart, I could cut off your head, I could submerge you in holy water, bury you in a casket full of crosses…” She shook her head. “You fuckers are so easy to kill, it's ridiculous. I mean, scrawny the vampire slayer there is right. I'm just a human girl. No superpowers, no magical bullshit backing me up. Just a lot of hours in the gym and weekends spent watching Van Damme and Seagal movies. Yet, I'm out here every night taking you gap-toothed bastards out in droves.” She began walking toward him, discreetly tossing a stake behind him to the ground. “Shit, pal. I stopped sweating you guys when I got pubic hair.”

He didn't move. “You really think you can take me?”

“Oh, buddy. That's a question you really don't want a fuckin' answer to.” She stopped walking and crossed her arms. “But it's kind of a moot point right now.”

“Reason being?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Because of the really pissed off blonde girl behind you,” Neo said. “Classic mistake. Never turn your back on an enemy. Around the block a few times my ass.”

The vamp tried to respond but the stake sliding through his back into his heart stole the words from his mouth.

Buffy let out a sigh of relief. “What are you doing out here?”

“Crab fishing,” Neo said, sarcastically. “What the fuck does it look like I'm doing? I'm patrolling for vamps.”

“I told you this was my town, Neo,” Buffy said, stepping up to her.

The potential chuckled. “It sure looked like it. You were definitely showing them who was boss.”

“I could have-,”

“Handled it?” Neo asked, snatching the stake out of Buffy's hand. She spun it in her own hand before replacing it in her vest. “Face it, blondie.” She leaned forward. “You're bush league.”

“I'm getting really tired of you,” Buffy said. “You come into my town and-,”

“Stop saying that, Buffy,” Neo said, her tone serious. “Stop claiming this is your town. It's not. It never has been. Say what you want about being a slayer. About being a beacon of hope for humanity or whatever bullshit golden story you wanna paint around yourself. Facts are fuckin' facts, sweetheart. At best, you're treading water. You've been in this town for what? Four years? And what's changed? Huh? What's different now than then?” She shook her head. “Not much. The death toll has lessened but not by much. I had Cerri run the numbers. You've made barely any impact whatsoever. Vampires are still comin' out of the woodwork and you can't keep up.”

“And you're gonna throw Portland in my face, aren't you?” Buffy asked her, standing arms akimbo.

Neo shook her head. “Nope. Don't have to.” She pointed to the two piles of dust in the distance. “Proof is in the pudding, darlin'. You heard the man. The supernatural world knows about you but you don't frighten them. The being that was created by the powers that be, and they aren't afraid of you. Then here I am. What did you say I was? Just a little girl wishing she was something that she'll never be?” She smiled widely. “Well, you're absolutely right. I'm not a slayer, Buffy. Probably never will be. And seeing you tonight made me perfectly fine with that.” She turned on her heel and walked off. “Because these sons of bitches are actually afraid of  _me_. They've never been afraid of you.”

Buffy stared at her retreating back. “I can kick your ass, you know!” She shouted.

Neo just laughed and waved as she left.

Buffy stood, fuming. She straightened her trendy leather jacket and dusted off her skin tight blue jeans. She then stopped. She again looked at the potential as she walked away. It suddenly dawned on her.

She really didn't take slaying serious. She sighed, turned and headed back to the college.


	30. Chapter 30

The Bronze was standing room only. Demon Queller, having quite an internet following, drew a capacity crowd.

Rain peered from behind the curtain and was astonished. “I didn't realize how popular you guys were.”

Cerri nodded as she uploaded the playlist to the in-house prompter system. “A lot of the time they have emo and alternative bands in here. Someone like us is a rare treat for these people.” She looked at Rain. “You've never even heard us play, have you?”

She nodded. “I've seen some of your shows on the website.” She couldn't help but smile. Cerri was dressed in what amounted to a Japanese Schoolgirl uniform, giving her the whole 'lolita' vibe.

Neo walked up to her. “Different ball game altogether, seeing us live,” the potential said.

Rain turned to regard her. She was clad in a pair of black leather pants, a black leather bustier that showed her cleavage off big time and a pair of black leather boots that came up to her knees. Polished silver buckles ran up the sides. The girl's thick brown hair was hanging loose about her shoulders. She looked every bit the sexy heavy metal singer.

The rest of the girls were dressed quite differently. Quan wore a pair of skin-tight jeans with tears in them and a sports bra that barely kept her breasts in check. She had the look of southern girl meets rock groupie.

The twins both wore black and white camouflage pants and sleeveless t-shirts. They looked every part of the military man's daughters. Which was the point.

Then there was Talia. She went with a charcoal gray skirt that hung just above the knee but with a modest slit up the right side, giving a nice glimpse of thigh. Her blouse, a white button-down was open, showing a glorious view of her black lace bra and the cleavage it contained. Her matching tweed blazer hung over her shoulders. She finished off the ensemble with a pair of black strappy heels and a pair of black rimmed glasses. She reminded Rain of the sexy school teachers she'd seen in movies. Which, again she figured was the purpose.

All told, the girls were playing to the crowd. Nearly every guy in the crowd would find a particular 'type' as it was fulfilled by what was on stage.

Rain then turned back to Neo. “You guys really get into this, don't you?”

The beefy teen pulled Rain in and kissed her passionately. “We love it to death.”

“What should I do?” Rain asked her.

“Sit back, relax and enjoy the show,” Quan said, patting her shoulder. “Gonna be a while.” She stopped and pointed out into the crowd. “Look who decided to show up.”

Neo panned out and saw Buffy sitting with Riley. Willow and Jerri shared the booth with them. They were quietly talking amongst themselves. “I'm surprised she's here.”

“I'm not,” Sadiira said as she strapped on her guitar. “We're probably the best band this place has ever had.”

Neo chuckled. “That's harsh.” She rolled her head about on her shoulders. “Why don't you go and make nice?” She said to the other young potential.

Rain smiled. “You want me to smooth over the philosophical debate you had with her last night?”

“Nope,” Neo said, shaking her head. “Don't need to. We're from different worlds, she and I. She does her thing, I do mine. Don't need anything more than that.”

Rain nodded, kissed her and Talia both and left the stage, making her way back and around to the open, yet packed space of the dance and dining area. She approached the gang's table. “You guys mind if I join you?”

“Rain, right?” Buffy asked, standing up. As the girl nodded, Buffy shook her hand. “This is my boyfriend Riley.”

The farm boy rose to his feet and took Rain's hand. “It's a pleasure to meet you.”

“This is Willow and her friend Jerri,” Buffy offered.

Rain shook hands and introduced herself, taking a seat beside the Redhead. “You guys come here a lot?”

“Not as much as we used to,” Buffy said. “We normally hang out at the college but sometimes we do this for the nostalgia.” She looked at Riley. “And he wanted to see your girlfriend's band play.”

“I'm a sucker for good classic rock,” Riley said, smiling.

“This is going to be the first time I've seen them play,” Rain said, cheerfully. “I've only ever seen them on the internet.”

“Us too,” Willow said. “I hear they're kind of…loud.”

“They're a heavy metal band, Willow,” Jerri said, leaning in against her. “That automatically means loudness.”

“Do you know what they're starting off with?” Riley asked.

“Nope,” Rain said, shaking her head. “But it's gonna be awesome, I'm sure.”

The lights in the club went down and the curtain raised on the stage. A spotlight snapped on, causing Neo to veritably glow. “There's a friend of mine in the audience tonight. I'm not gonna be a bitch and point her out but she knows who she is. Recently she and I had a… a  _conversation_  about our philosophical differences. So this first cut is just for her. Because babe? You just don't get it.” As she finished, the lights on the stage snapped on.

Quan, Sadiira, and Nadiira all began sawing on their bass and guitars respectively as Cerri, in all her adorable glory began pounding out a hard beat on drums.

Neo nodded and turned to the microphone, gripping it tight. Her voice was like a hammer against an anvil as she belted out the lyrics. “One life, I'm gonna live it up…”

Riley tapped his foot and was enjoying the music. Willow wasn't necessarily a fan of, well, music in general but she could see the talent the girls possessed. And she could see Jerri was in seventh heaven. She couldn't help but smile at the petite girl. Losing Oz had hurt but Willow found a lot of happiness in the younger girl.

Buffy's attention, however, was squarely on the stage. She stared into Neo's eyes as the girl busted out  _You've Got Another Thing Comin'_  by Judas Priest. She listened to the lyrics and understood what the girl was saying to her. It was clear as day. “You don't get me and you never will. And I'm okay with that.”

She couldn't help, however, bobbing her head as the song played out. The group finished up the song and moved directly into one of their own pieces. It was titled  _Warrior's Soul_  and was one of their best. Talia, Neo's Watcher, joined them on stage, playing her violin flawlessly.

The more the group watched, the more they found to like about the girls. Rain stared like a lovesick schoolgirl at the potential and the British woman.

The girls had started their set just after seven at night. It was nearly midnight when they called it quits. Their set consisted of a lot of their own music and a plethora of covers. Riley was glad to hear a few of his favorites. Willow and Jerri were both spent, having danced for a lot of the evening.

Rain was content to simply watch her girlfriends play. Talia removed herself from the stage a few times to dance with the teen while the band played on.

It was a grand time, made better by the fact that every one the place was cheering and singing along to a lot of the tracks. Even a good number of the band's original pieces.

It was flattering as hell.

The girls were loading up the trailer when Buffy walked up to the seven of them. Neo looked at her and smiled. “Did you enjoy the show?”

The blonde nodded. “I did, actually.” She smiled. “Never was a fan of heavy metal but you guys are really good.” She looked at Talia. “I'm gonna be honest, I've never heard the guitar solo from  _Fantasy_ by Aldo Nova played on the violin before.”

Talia blushed as Neo and the rest of the girls looked surprised. “I'm surprised you even know who Aldo Nova is.” Neo offered.

“I watch a lot of VH1 Classic,” Buffy said. “You got a minute?”

Neo nodded and turned to the girls. “I'll be back.” She fell in step beside Buffy as the pair walked down the alley. “Bet you find a lot of vamp action back here,” she said as she looked around.

“All the time,” Buffy said. She stopped and turned around. “You're wrong, you know.”

“About what?” Neo asked, crossing her thick arms over her chest.

“I _do_ get you. I'm not as dumb as people think I am,” Buffy said. Her tone was actually calm and civil.

“I know you aren't. You wouldn't have survived as long as you have if you were stupid,” Neo said.

“I understand why you are the way you are. Despite what you may wanna believe.” Buffy likewise crossed her arms. “Don't get me wrong, it took a while to figure it out but I think I know.”

“Knew you'd get it eventually,” Neo said.

“You're crazy, for one,” Buffy said, shrugging. “Not insane talking to fire hydrants and making out with trees, crazy. But you're definitely messed up in the head.”

Neo for her part shrugged. “So I've been told.” She shook her head. “I don't see it but that doesn't mean shit. Most people out of their minds don't realize how nuts they are.”

“The thing about you is…” Buffy bit her lip. “The kind of crazy you are is a good thing.”

Neo raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

Buffy nodded. “You said it yourself. You don't have the slayer abilities to fall back on. All you have is what years of training, learning, and practical application have given you. I'm a slayer. But you? You're a  _fighter_. In a different world, I could see you in the Mixed Martial Arts circuit beating the crap out of everyone. Men and women alike. But in this world, the world we're forced to live in?” She shook her head. “You aren't just good at killing monsters. You're  _phenomenal_ at it. You have to be crazy to do this and be as awesome at it as you are.”

“That actually means a lot coming from you,” Neo said, sincerely.

“You do things that I could never do. I just watched you pour your heart and soul out to that audience. You gave everything you had for them. I think it's the same when you're out there hunting. You can leave everything on the battlefield; your conscience, your humanity, even your sense of compassion. You take things apart without remorse or pity. You don't give a moment to think about anything but winning.” She tapped Neo's chest. “That's what makes you so scary. Me, Faith, Alexia, and Steele? We were given this destiny. We didn't have a choice but you? You _did_ have a choice. And you chose to reach and take what we were freely given. Your destiny is the same as ours. But not because the powers that be said so but because  _you_ said so. And because of that?” She chuckled. “You were right. You're a better slayer than I am.”

Neo stared into the blonde's hazel eyes. She could see that the girl was being genuine and heartfelt. And that meant a hell of a lot to the potential. “I'm gonna share something with you. I know you don't really care for me. I don't blame you. I ever actually met myself, I'd probably try and kick the shit out of me.” Neo sighed. “But I do care, Buffy. I'm never saddened by the vampires I put down. Make no mistake, I do think about the fact that most of those that I dust were once just normal people pulling the nine to five. Just doing their own thing until some undead neck molester decided to create another of his or her kind. I don't get sad about that. I get pissed off. I know the person they were is dead. Nothing to be done about it but the fucker that took up residence is just another demon. And I punish the fuck out of them for daring to exist in my world. I punish them for stealing what they had no right to take.” She shook her head. “I fight  _evil_ , Buffy. That's the keyword. Evil. I don't care what form it takes. If I gotta take out a demon, that's fine with me. But I'll also snap a motherfucker's neck that guns down a woman and her kid to steal her welfare check. Because evil is evil. It's the one universal constant as far as I'm concerned. I think that's where we differ so greatly. You won't cross the line from demons to humans. At least not willingly.”

“It's because I don't think it's a Slayer's right to punish the human criminals. That's what the police are for,” Buffy said. She tried desperately to keep the distaste out of her voice but she knew some crept in.

“And you'd be right. It's not. And doing so is wrong. I know that. But I don't see fuckers like that as human. They may look human, they may act human but just like demons, they prey on fear. Makes them a demon in my book. And if anything,  _that_  is what makes me the proverbial monster you claim me to be. And I know that it's a hell of a failing that might very well get me killed or locked up. But it's the way I am. I wish some days it wasn't.” She stepped forward and rested her hands on Buffy's shoulders. “I'm not gonna stand here and blow sunshine up your ass. I still think you need to let go and just embrace the slayer inside you. You need to give up the idea of having a normal life and just give yourself to the fact that you're a supernatural killing machine. Do I think you'll ever do that? No. No I don't. But with that said, you are a damn good slayer. Sunnydale is a Hellmouth. It could be a hell of a lot worse than it is. Yeah, you may only be treading water but you know what? So far, it's been enough. And sometimes, with the tools you're given enough is the best you can hope for.”

Buffy stared into Neo's eyes. “Thanks.”

“I meant what I said,” the girl said. “We're just a phone call away. We'll probably never be friends. Less to do with you and more to do with me, admittedly. But despite what we've both said, we are – occasionally – on the same side. And when we are?” She grinned widely. “The paranormal underground is gonna be shitting their collective pants.”

Buffy chuckled. “Such a lovely image.”

“Makes a point,” Neo said. “This is a pretty nasty town. You got a lot that needs dealing with. You get a little dirtier and you could have a city as clean as Portland.”

“I have to ask. How  _did_  you clean up Portland?” Buffy asked.

“You already know the answer to that,” Neo said.

Buffy raised an eyebrow. “I do?”

Neo nodded. “Yeah, you do. Remember what the vamps in the cemetery last night said to you?”

“That vampires all know my name but they fear yours,” Buffy said. She had to admit, she was a bit envious of that but unlike Neo, she wasn't willing to give up her humanity to gain such a grim reputation.

Neo smiled. “Yay, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” She grinned. “For I am the meanest motherfucker in the valley.”

“That should be a t-shirt,” Buffy said, shaking her head.

“It is. You can get it on the website for twenty bucks,” Neo said. “Alexia tries to make a buck on everything she can. You'll be glad to know that we're leaving in the morning.”

Buffy sighed. “I'm not gonna say I'm sad to see you go.”

“That's alright,” Neo offered, shrugging. “There's a lot of ground to cover between here and Portland.” She shook her head. “Nickel's worth of free advice? Ditch the loser. He's not right for you.”

“Riley?” Buffy asked. “What's wrong with him?”

“You'll figure it out,” Neo said, smiling. “He's a man's man. That'll come into play here pretty soon. Just wait.”

“What do you mean?”

“Let's just say men like Riley? Like to be  _men_. And being with you? What you can do and what you'll always be called away to do?” Neo shook her head. “We gotta go. Got an early start in the morning.” She turned and left Buffy to think about what she'd said. And what it meant.

“What did she want?” Rain asked.

“Same bullshit,” Neo said. “Let's get back to the hotel. I'm tired as hell.”

The rest of the girls nodded their agreement. Neo looked at the group and realized something profound. At this moment, in the company of her best friends and the women she loved, she wasn't angry, she wasn't spoiling for a fight. She felt fantastic.

She felt human.

And as she climbed behind the wheel of the massive Ford, she realized that the more time she spent in Rain and Talia's arms, the happier she seemed to be. “Getting' fuckin' sappy over here,” she said, quietly to herself. She pulled ahead and headed back to the hotel. She saw Riley and Buffy talking in front of the Bronze. It looked like a rather serious conversation. Riley looked rather pissed off. “Good girl,” Neo said, softly.


	31. Chapter 31

Neo rested her arm on the door and kept her hand on the wheel as the girls rolled into the town of Paso Robles, California. “This place looks promising,” she said, contentedly. She reached over and took hold of the CB radio mic and keyed up. “So where we headed, Cerri?”

“The Wine Country RV Resort on Airport Road,” the girl shot back. “We're booked for an open-ended stay. It's actually really nice from what the website said.”

“Fair enough. We're playin' follow the leader,” Neo said, hanging the microphone back up. She turned to the side to see Talia watching the countryside pass by. She checked the rearview and saw Rain asleep in the backseat. She sighed happily and settled back as the Raptor pulled ahead and lead the way.

An hour later, they had the deposit down for their spot rental and the trailer all set up. The twins moved about the kitchen area cooking dinner for the group. Cerri sat at the table working on her laptop. Neo sat on the sofa with Talia's head in her lap. Rain rested on the floor with her back against the muscular potential's legs.

Quan sat next to Cerri surfing web on her phone.

“Hey, Cerri? Where are we playing again?” Neo asked her.

“The Paso Robles Event Center. We're doing the Ponderosa Pavilion Concert Hall,” Cerri offered, not looking up. “It's over a thousand people and it's sold out.”

“No shit?” Neo asked. “That's impressive.”

Talia smiled. “That's a rather big venue.”

“Definitely one our biggest,” Neo said. “So what's the deal with this town? Anything going on?”

“Well…” Cerri said, shaking her head. “It's kind of strange. I've been checking the patterns. Looking for supernatural activity. You know the markers. Missing persons, unexplained homicides, that kind of shit. And for the past forty years, there's been nothing. The crime rate in this town is down to almost nothing. Transient population is bust, no gang activity to speak of, a few missing person cases but nothing throwing up red flags.” She sighed. “All in all it's actually quite as hell.” She looked at Neo. “And for a town of this size, it doesn't make sense. The population is roughly thirty thousand people. There should be more crime than there is.”

“Are we in another hunter's territory?” Rain asked.

“Not from what I've been able to cobble together,” Cerri said. “I've been real-timing it with Rite. From what we can see, this place is just… _clean_.”

“Which begs the question  _why_?” Talia wondered.

“Five gets you ten that there's a huge fucking nest in this town somewhere and they're ducking us,” Neo said, her tone starting to fill with anger.

“For fuck's sake, Neo. Not every town we go to has to have a demon or vampire problem,” Quan said. “Can't you just accept that maybe, just  _maybe_  we've found a town that has nothing going on? That there's the remote possibility that not every city sees you as the second fuckin' coming?”

Neo stared at the big girl. As she did so, she remembered that that was what she loved about Quan. The girl managed to keep her centered and down to earth. Whenever Neo's ego got the better of her, Quan was always there to slap her back down and remind her that she wasn't the most terrifying thing on the planet. But right now, wasn't one of those times. Neo slowly shook her head. “No, Quan, I can't accept that. Because the one time I do and let shit ride is the one time I'm right and there's a fuckin' shitstorm raging outside our door. Only we were too relaxed and into the vacation to notice.”

Quan couldn't fault the potential one bit. Neo expected attacks from everywhere all the time. It was what made her so much more dangerous than the rest of the girls. All of them had been through the wringer. She'd faced her own share of tragedies, just like Neo and the twins. And she'd faced her own demons, coming out stronger for it. But she didn't have Neo's edge.

And that edge, that instinct to see danger hiding behind every door, in every shadow was why Neo Knight was the leader of Demon Queller. To a lot of people, the girl would simply be seen as paranoid. And maybe she was…some of the time. But rarely did Neo ever get caught off guard.

To her, it wasn't paranoia. It was preparedness.

Quan sighed and shrugged. “We'll just have to keep our eyes open. But that doesn't mean you have to walk around on a razor's edge the whole time we're here.”

The twins carried over the large trays of grilled beef, onions and peppers for steak fajitas. Rain immediately bounced up to her feet and waited as the pair dished themselves up. She smiled at them as they went to it. She put together a plate for Neo and Talia, then fixed one for herself.

“Thanks,” Neo said, pulling her down and giving her a kiss.

“You're welcome,” Rain offered.

“Thank you,” Talia said, sitting up. She likewise kissed the girl.

“So does this burg have any kind of nightlife?” Neo asked. “Any club or anything?”

“A few night clubs. Mostly bars and pubs,” Cerri said. “But they do have an all-ages dance club. It's kind of like the Bronze.”

“Could be worse,” Neo said. “Maybe we should hit that tonight. See what it has going for it.”

“Guarantee you the music is gonna suck,” Sadiira offered off hand.

“Most places do,” Quan said. “But that's par for the course these days. Most new music sucks ass.” She took a large bite of her fajita and burped into her hand. “This is good. Nice work.”

The pair both nodded as they continued eating.

“When's the sound check?” Neo asked.

“Tomorrow afternoon at three,” Cerri said. “We go on at seven.”

“We have an opening act?” Quan asked her.

“Some local country band,” Cerri offered. She brought up the program. “Duster's Folly.” She shrugged. “Nothing much about 'em. According to their facebook page, they're calling themselves 'Party Country', whatever that is.”

“Probably some Luke Bryan shit,” Neo said.

“Could be worse,” Rain said. “Could be whiney country.”

“God,” Neo said, shaking her head. “That would just suck ass.” She looked at Talia. “You gonna do any songs with us?”

“I don't know. Depends on what your set is going to consist of,” she said, shrugging. “I might if you play something more my speed.”

“You know how to sing?” Neo asked Rain.

The girl looked at her with wide eyes. “You're joking.”

“Nope. I'm actually curious. You played roadie for us in Sunnydale. How about a chance to get on stage and belt a couple of tunes out?”

Rain just stared at her looking very much like a deer in headlights.

 

Just as Sadiira predicted, the music was terrible. A band stood on stage, doing their level best to play an alternative cover of Aerosmith's  _Shela_. “Christ, this blows,” Neo said, shaking her head.

Rain and Talia stood beside her, moving with the music. “It's not so bad,” Talia offered, smiling. “Could be worse.”

“Doubtful,” Rain said, softly. “Think the band would let you use their instruments and show them how it's done?”

“They're a house band,” Neo said, pointing. “All that gear belongs to the club, I'll bet money on it.”

“She's right,” Sadiira said.

“How can you tell?” Rain asked, looking at the group's instruments.

“First off, those guitars. Any guitarist worth their salt wouldn't be caught dead playing an Ibanez GRX20Z  _on stage_. That's, at best, a practice rig. Then there's that cheap ass bass. A Silvertone Revolver? Gimme a break.” She shook her head. “Don't even get me started on that piece of shit drum kit. I'm betting with all the gear on stage, you're looking at maybe two grand. Even the keyboard is a ghetto-ass Yamaha.” She looked at Rain. “You've seen our gear. Yeah, the government covered our losses but it's on par with what we had before. Except for my rig, it's all comparable.”

“If that's the case, then maybe we _should_ show these ass-hats how it's done,” Cerri said. “I'm feelin' it.” She began flexing her shoulder and hands.

Neo shrugged. “We could see if the bartender would let us up to play.” She turned to Rain. “You're our manager,” she said, gently nudging her toward the bar. “Go and pimp us. No charge for the appearance.”

She shrugged and headed for the bar. “What can I get you?” the man asked nonchalantly.

“Gimme a coke,” she said. “And I've got a question for you.”

He filled the soda from the fountain. “Two fifty,” he said, sliding the soda across. “What's on your mind?”

“The gear that the band on stage is playing. That house gear or do those instruments belong to the band?” she asked, taking a sip off of her coke. She dropped a five on the counter.

“It's house gear. They play the place most nights. They work for chump change. That's why I hired 'em. They're just getting started and needed a venue. Kids that come in here seem to like 'em.” He raised an eyebrow. “Why do you ask?”

“You see those girls over there?” Rain asked, pointing to the group. “That's Demon Queller.”

“Demon Queller?” he asked. “Never heard of 'em.”

“They're playing the Event Center tomorrow night. They're wondering if they can take over your stage for a little bit. Just to show these clowns what real music sounds like.”

He stared at the girls a minute. “Gotta wait until their set is over,” he said. “What's the charge?”

“No charge. They'll give you a few songs for free,” Rain said. “They just don't like the music.”

“Gonna piss the boys off,” he said, motioning toward the stage. “But that's not my problem. Yeah, they can use the gear.”

“You won't regret it,” Rain said. She downed her soda and moved back to the girls. “You're on as soon as the band takes a break.”

Neo pulled her in and kissed her. “Appreciate it,” she said, happily.

Blessedly, the set ended sooner rather than later. Neo and the girls made their way toward the stage as the band was stepping off. “Don't go too far, boys. School's about to start.”

“What are you talking about?” the singer asked.

“We're gonna show you what real music looks and sounds like. So stick around. You may learn something,” Neo offered. Talia and Rain both took a table near the stage.

“You think you can do better?” the drummer asked.

Cerri giggled. “Oh, I know so,” she said, giddily.

Sadiira and Nadiira both lifted the guitars and strapped them on. They plucked out a quick tune and sighed. “Christ, this thing is out of tune,” Sadiira said, shaking her head.

The band spent a few minutes tuning the instruments. Neo pulled them all together. “What should we do?” she asked. “Something to smack these fools around, obviously.”

“Old school or new?” Quan asked.

“Old school,” Neo said. “Definitely.” She looked at Cerri. “How's your arm feelin', kiddo?”

“Thunder Goddess, baby,” Cerri said, spinning the drumstick in her fingers. “I'm good.”

“I got it,” Neo said, grinning. She spun and stepped out front. “This might be a bit harder than what you're used to,” she said, happily. “But it's gonna be a hell of a lot better, I can tell you that. This cut is just to get the party started. Because we all like it when we're  _Livin' After Midnight_.”

Cerri immediately began hammering out the beat on the drums. The twins started sawing on the guitars as Quan thumped out a hard bass line.

Neo pulled the microphone off the stand and, harkening back to something she was pretty sure none of the younger patrons of the club had ever seen, swung the microphone around in a fast arc by the chord before pulling it tight to her hand. “Livin' after midnight, rockin' to the dawn…”

The club goers were floored. The pure energy the girls gave off as they played was beyond anything they'd ever seen.

Throughout the energetic classic the girls gave everything they had. Neo strutted across the stage like she owned it. When the song finished, she gave a slight giggle. “I can see that got all you boys hard and your girls just a little bit wet.” She looked back at her bandmates. “So how about I stop teasing…” She turned back to the audience. “And  _Get you off_?”

Sadiira and Nadiira again began working their guitars. Cerri tapped out a solid rhythm as Neo began swaying along with the music. “You don't know that I know, you watch me every night. And I just can't resist the urge, to stand here in the light. Your greedy eyes upon me, and then I come undone. And I could close the curtain but this is too much fun. I get off on you! Getting off on me! Give you what you want. But nothing is for free. It's a give and take, the kind of love we make. When the line is crossed…I get off!”

Talia and Rain watched the sensuality Neo was exuding and knew full well that this song was for the pair of them. She may have been singing to the entire club but she was singing  _for_  them.

The walls and lights shook with the volume the girls blasted out. The house band couldn't help but feel a touch inadequate at the moment. They looked around and realized that they  _never_  got such a reaction.

The girls finished their song and were happy as clams. “Just a little preview of what you can expect tomorrow night at the Paso Robles Event Center,” Neo said. “We now return you to your regularly scheduled mediocrity.” She indicated the band sitting at the table by the stage. Boos and hisses met the statement. She chuckled and looked at the girls then back to the audience. “You want one more?” she asked. Cheers and shouts met them. She looked at the girls. “You got one more in you?” All of them nodded. “Cerri?” She turned to the little drummer. “Pick a beat, doll.”

She grinned and began stomping her foot in time. The large bass drum beat like a heart. Neo nodded. “Gotta love a classic,” she said, bobbing her head. Sadiira picked up with a long droning wail of her guitar. Neo looked at the audience. They were all stomping their feet in time. “You know this one, I'm sure.” She gripped the microphone and held it close to her mouth and in a deep, guttural voice growled out; “ _I am Iron Man!_ ”

The club went absolutely berserk. Rain rose to her feet and pulled Talia up with her and began dancing with the woman. Both were having the time of their lives.

Neo and the girls gave everything to the crowd. Impromptu or not, they were there to perform and they wouldn't leave a group anything else but satisfied.

After a prolonged rendition of the classic Black Sabbath cut, they left the stage.

“Now  _that_  is how you do it,” Neo said to the singer of the house band. “A little effort goes a long way.” She left the group to stand there, fuming.

For the remainder of the evening, the group did their best to follow the girls but couldn't seem to capture the same feeling. Simply put, they were outclassed. It was the difference between being a group of musicians…and being  _performers_.

The girls danced as the music played and lost themselves for the night. Neo kept it close and dirty with Talia and Rain.

Sadiira and Nadiira danced together and pushed any boy that got close away without so much as a look.

It was almost two in the morning by the time the girls got back to the trailer. Neo fell into bed with her girls, as did Quan and Cerri. The twins, as was their won't, went to bed alone.

All told it was a good first night.

Neo found that she wasn't missing the hunt as much as she thought she would. As she looked into Rain and Talia's eyes, she smiled. It had taken her almost six years but she'd finally found something more important than the fight.

And she was okay with that.


	32. Chapter 32

Cerri stood in the business office of the Ponderosa Pavilion at just after midnight. She was tired, sore, and more than a little wired. The girls took the stage at twenty minutes after seven and wrapped up their set a half hour ago. Sweat matted her hair to her head and she had a touch of a headache but she was in great spirits as she waited eagerly for the band's payday.

David, the man she'd brokered the deal with sat behind the desk making out the check for the packed capacity show the girls had put on. “I gotta say, I'm not a fan of the kind of music you girls play but you definitely know how to put on a hell of a concert. People were on their feet all night.”

Cerri grinned. “We love what we do,” she said, happily. “The fans make it worth it.”

He pulled the check out of the book and handed it to her. “Here you are,” he said, smiling. “You earned it.”

She took it and nodded. “Thanks for-,” She stopped and furrowed her brow. She read the check and looked back at him. “Um…you're about six grand light,” she said, tossing the check back on the desk.

“No I'm not,” he said, pushing it back toward her.

“Twelve hundred capacity and it was sold out. Not an open spot in the house. We checked with the ticket vendor. Twelve hundred units sold. At twenty-five bucks a pop, that's thirty thousand dollars. Our contract was for seventy percent. That's twenty-one grand, all told. You wrote a check for fifteen.” She shook her head. “Your six grand light.” She picked the check up and slapped it down in front of him. “Fix it.”

“Look, kid. This is a fluid business. Seventy percent wasn't just based on the gate. It was also on food, beverage and souvenir sales. We didn't make as much on that as we thought we would. It happens.”

“Don't treat me like I'm an idiot,” Cerri snapped. “I'm _young_ , not stupid. Our contract explicitly states that we get seventy percent of  _the gate_. What we get paid doesn't have a damn thing to do with concessions. You took in thirty grand on the tickets. We get twenty-one of that. So you either fix it, or you can talk to my lawyer.” She pulled her cellphone out. “What's it gonna be?”

He sighed heavily as he stared at her. “You really don't understand-,”

“I understand that you saw a thirteen-year-old little girl and thought you could fuck me over. Newsflash, hotshot. I'm not your typical teenage girl. I don't let people walk all over me. And if I have to get our singer in here to have this conversation with you, you're gonna wake up in the morning knowing exactly what your left testicle tastes like. Now write the fucking check,” she said, pointing to the booklet.

“Just so you know, you won't be coming back here,” he said, angrily.

“I can promise you that. We don't like working with slime,” Cerri said to him. As she took the check, she snapped a photo of it with her phone and typed a few commands in. “There. Now in case you wanted to be an asshole and cancel it, it's already deposited into our account.” She tossed it back to him after writing VOID across it. “Pleasure doing business with you.” She turned and left the room. “Asshole.”

She made it out to the trailer and truck. “We're good.”

“What did we clear?” Neo asked as she closed the door to the rig.

“Twenty-one thousand dollars. Our best show to date,” Cerri said. “He tried shorting us by six grand but I set him straight.”

“That's my girl,” Quan said, smiling. “Cerri and I are gonna go and grab some food. We'll meet you all back at the resort.”

Neo nodded. “Fair enough. Be careful.” She hugged both girls.

“We will.” Quan offered as she took her place behind the wheel of the Raptor. Cerri slid into the passenger seat. “How's your arm?” Quan asked the young drummer.

“Hurts a little,” she said, rubbing the elbow and forearm.

“You're getting better,” Quan said, softly. “You nailed In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida tonight.” She looked at the petite girl. “I know since…” She drew a deep breath. “I know since it happened, you've been struggling with that.”

Cerri looked intently at her. “Don't,” she said, shaking her head. “Please, Anna. Don't do this to yourself.”

The big girl had tears in her eyes. She swallowed hard. “I can't help it, Cassie,” she said, using the girl's real name. “I should have been there. I should have protected you.”

“You didn't know,” Cerri offered, resting her hand on the huge arm. “None of you did. You expected me to be safe in the warehouse. We didn't know he could roll people with his eyes. It could have happened to any… _most_  of us.”

Quan smiled. “Yeah. I doubt he'd have been able to get past Neo's rage issues to be able to roll her.”

“It isn't your fault, Anna. Please stop feeling guilty for it. It hurts me to see you this broken up.” She bit back the tears and the sob that was working its way up. “I love you, Anna. I don't wanna see you hurting like this.”

Quan turned to regard her. “I love you, too.” She reached out and caressed the softness of Cerri's cheek with her thumb. “With all my heart.”

Cerri gripped her hand and nuzzled her face against it. “Because of you, I'm stronger than I've ever been. When I was in physical therapy for those months, it was you that helped me the most. You never let me give up. I wanted to. It hurt so bad, I wanted to just give up and let them take my arm.” She looked into Quan's eyes with her own filled with tears. “But you wouldn't let me. You kept telling me to fight through the pain, that it would get better.”

Quan smiled but there was a sadness to it. “I remember. I remember you telling me that I had to hate you for wanting you to suffer so badly.” She shook her head. “I know you didn't mean it.”

“I said so many terrible things back then,” Cerri returned. “I'm so sorry, Anna.”

“I forgave you the second you said them.” The big woman offered. “My little Cassie is a tough girl. I knew you'd get through it. You just needed to understand it, too.”

“And now I do,” Cerri said, flexing her arm. She let out a bit of a hiss as she straightened it and got a sharp  _crack_  for her efforts. “Slowly but surely it's getting better.”

“You wanna go and see a doctor tomorrow?” the girl asked.

“Nah. Don't really need to. I just played drums for five hours straight. It's bound to hurt like hell.”

“You said you were only a little sore,” Quan said, suddenly annoyed. “Don't lie to me like that.”

“Considering what I just did with it, it  _is_  only a little sore. How do your hands feel?” Cerri asked her. When Quan didn't respond, she nodded. “Yeah, thought so. Especially with you doing the Pete Townshend windmill like you do.” She chuckled. “Still amazes me you can do that on a bass.”

She shrugged as she drove along. “I just started doing it when I was a kid because it looked cool.”

“It sounds cool, too,” Cerri said, smiling. “Any idea what we wanna get for food?”

“Something quick,” Quan said as she pulled into the grocery store. “Given how late it is, nothing's open any way.”

“We could just get the stuff for nachos. We all like those.”

“Sounds good.” The pair climbed out of the truck and headed into the store. “I'll get the veggies and the meat, you get the chips and jalapenos and stuff. We'll meet by the cheese, fair?”

“You got it,” Cerri said, nodding. She trotted off toward the chip aisle, snatching a basket as she went. She stopped and looked. “Nacho Cheese Doritos for Neo,” she said, taking a bag down and setting it in the basket. “Regular tortilla chips for those of us that don't want to have arteries the consistency of oak come morning…” She pulled down four bags. “Now for jalapenos,” she said. She turned to the end of the aisle and stopped as she saw a pair of men, both in their early thirties moving toward her.

At first, she thought nothing of it. “Gentlemen,” she said, nodding as she moved to step past them.

“Hey, cutie,” one of them said, reaching out to pinch her cheek. “Where you goin'?”

She dodged away from his hand, immediately dropping her own into the pocket of her jacket. She gripped the stun gun she carried their and looked up at him. “Away from you, perv. I'm only thirteen.”

The pair of them grinned widely. A shadow loomed over her from behind. She turned to see another man standing behind her. “Someone forget to tell your body that. 'Cause you look all growed up to us.”

She was suddenly very, very nervous. “Leave me alone, assholes. I'm not gonna tell you again.”

“Oh, don't be like that,” the first one said, touching her hair. “We ain't gonna-,”

It was the last thing he said before she pulled the stun gun and shoved it into his crotch. The static crack of nine hundred thousand volts caused him to grunt and fall to the ground immediately.

The remaining pair of men grabbed her and immediately began pulling her toward the back of the store. “ANNA! HELP!” she screamed at the top of her lungs. One of the pair slapped his hand over her mouth and held her fast.

“CERRI!” the big woman roared. With a single mental command, every bit of magic upon her tattooed frame was brought to bear. She charged through the store, blasting through displays, sending merchandise and people scattering. She rounded the corner to see a trio of men dragging Cerridwen into the back of the store. She growled and charged after them. “Leave her alone!”

One of the three ran to intercept her. She never broke stride. She lifted her arms to protect her face and head…and let nature take its course. Simple physics being what they were, it didn't end well for the would-be abductor. Quan slammed into him moving full speed. Backed by ancient tattoo magic, she was running at nearly forty miles an hour.

The impact was terrible. Her forearms collided with his chest, sending him on a pain-wracked flight into the cold case housing the bear and spirits and through that, into the cooler beyond. He hit the back wall so hard that the lights in the walk-in went out. Glass shredded his back and head. He didn't get back up.

She blasted through the service door without slowing in the least.

The remaining two kidnappers managed to get Cerri outside and to the back of an old dingy Chevy Astro minivan. They quickly pushed her inside and climbed in as Quan erupted through the metal fire door, sending the door itself off the hinges and tumbling across the parking lot. “Jesus Christ! Go, man, go!” One of the men shouted. The driver shoved it into gear and gunned it. The van spun its tires but didn't move. “Hurry up, man!”

“I'm trying! We're hung up on something!” the driver shot back. He looked into the rearview and his heart sank. “No fucking way!”

Quan stood with her arms wrapped about the rear bumper of the van, holding it in place. Her face was a mask of rage. Her thick knotted arms bulged as she kept the five thousand pound vehicle rooted in place. Her body screamed as she held the rig stationary. The wheels smoked as the driver mashed the gas pedal to the floor. Pure anger and determination kept her from letting go.

But the structural integrity of the van wasn't as robust. Suddenly the bumper tore free, causing Quan to fall backward to her butt and allowed the Chevy to race away. “Mother _fucker_!” she screamed, getting back to her feet. In a last-ditch effort, Quan lifted the massive steel bumper and drew it back like a spear and hurled it with all of her strength.

It soared through the air like a javelin, slamming in through the back door of the van and burying itself into the floorboards.

Cerri, bound by the wrists, just smiled. “You guys are in so much trouble it isn't even funny.” The pair of men looked at her with fear in their eyes. “You know…” she said, leaning against the wall of the van. “If you pull over and let me out now, she  _might_  not kill you all.” She shook her head. “She's gonna beat all your asses. There's no getting around  _that_ but she might not tear you all apart and feed you to each other.”

“There's no way she can catch us, now,” the driver said. “Not unless she can  _oh my God_!”

Cerri cocked her head. She could hear the sound of the high-performance Ford pickup snarling up behind them. “Too late,” she said, happily. “I'd like to say it's been nice knowing you guys but that would be lying. And my mommy told me lying was bad.”

The van jerked wildly as the lifted truck slammed into them. “She's crazy!” the driver shouted, terrified.

“Does she remember that you're in here with us?” one of them asked Cerri. “She could kill you along with us.”

“Yeah, she can,” Cerri said, grinning like a skull. “And imagine what she's gonna do to you guys if she does.” She shook her head. “Not gonna be pretty. When she's done with you cock-stackers, you're gonna be buried in a ditty bag. An itty-bitty-ditty bag.”

The pair of kidnappers looked at the girl as she smiled widely with sinister glee. She was actually  _looking forward_  to what the huge woman would do to them.

Quan shifted gears and slammed into the back of the van again. “Pull over, you motherfucker so I can rip your fucking head off.” She pulled up along the driver's side of the van and cranked the wheel, plowing into the side. She glared at the driver as he tried his best to hold the road. “Pull over!” she screamed at him.

“Fuck you!” he shouted, turning the wheel toward her, colliding with the front quarter panel of the truck. The Ford didn't move at all as the driver of the van tried desperately to muscle her away. Given that the truck was nearly fifteen hundred pounds heavier and a great deal more powerful, it wasn't much of a surprise.

Quan shifted gears and nosed the truck over. She forced the Chevy into the parked cars on the side of the road and caused it to plow into the back of an SUV at speed.

Cerri tucked herself up behind the driver's seat and put her head between her legs. She knew that a hideous collision was imminent with the speeds they were going. Thus she was far more prepared when the van finally slammed into a parked vehicle. She was bounced about a bit but was none the worse for wear. Unlike the other two men who were thrown about the van. She offered a chuckle and sat back. “Now you bastards are in a world of shit.”

Quan screeched to a stop and threw the door of the truck open. She ran around to the passenger side of the van and snarled as she saw that it was pinned against a row of cars along the side of the street. She threw her shoulder into the back right corner of the Astro and gave out with a groan. She tires screeched as she shoved the rig over several feet, giving her access to the passenger side loading door.

She put her fist through the glass and gripped the sill, and with a mighty heave, ripped the door free its moorings. She threw it aside and saw the object of her heart's desire staring at her with love and worship that made her heart light. She reached in and scooped Cerri into her powerful arms and held her tightly. “I got you, baby.”

Cerri couldn't help but begin crying. “I knew you'd save me.”

“I failed you once,” Quan said, her voice so thick with emotion that it cracked. “Never again, baby. Never again.”

“You never failed me, Anna,” Cerri said. “Please stop thinking that.” She kissed the big woman intently. “Let's go home.”

“Not just yet,” Quan said, cutting the plastic binders on Cerri's wrists. “Baby's gotta express some rage.” Quan reached in and gripped the closest man by the ankle and dragged him out of the van. She could hear the sounds of police cars moving toward them but she didn't care.

He stared up at her as she loomed over him. “Oh, God,” he said, his eyes and voice filled with abject terror.

“No, motherfucker,” she said, gripping his throat and lifting from the ground. “No God.” She hefted him higher and spun, slamming him down onto the concrete with enough force to shatter every bone in his torso. He coughed blood into the air as he impacted.

In this place, at this moment, Annabelle Callahan didn't give one good God damn if he lived or died. She turned her eyes to the second kidnapper. He was huddled back against the far side of the van, scared out of his mind. She glared at him and reached in, taking hold of his foot. He drew his other boot back and drove it right into her face. Blood erupted from her nose and her lip split but she kept a vice-like grip on his foot. He was dragged, struggling from the van.

She pulled him back and slammed him against the side. Her fist buried itself in his stomach, causing him to boot all over the ground. She hammered him again and again. Blood was flowing freely from his mouth when four police cars pulled to a stop nearby.

A total of six officers stepped out and pulled their tasers. “Drop him!” one of them shouted.

Quan wasn't listening. She just kept pounding the man into lumpy salsa.

Cerri could see this ending very, very badly. “You don't wanna do that,” she said, moving toward the men.

One of the officers ran out and quickly swept Cerri away from the fight in progress. “Stay out of the way,” he said to her.

The rest of the officers fired their tasers. The barbs bit into the huge woman, ten in all. Millions of volts of stunning electricity coursed through the wires, slicing into the massive tattooed girl…

And did absolutely nothing. “Sir?” One of the officers shouted, fear filling his voice. Quan ignored them and kept beating the man within an inch of his life. “She's not goin' down!”

“No fucking shit!” The officer in charge returned.

“Let me talk to her,” Cerri said. “I can calm her down.” She looked up at the nearest officer. “She's not gonna stop. And those stun guns are just gonna piss her off.”

He looked at her and nodded. “Hold your fire, men,” he said. “You need to get her calmed down and I mean now before she kills him.”

Cerri nodded and moved toward Quan. “It's over, sweetie,” she said, resting her hand on the big woman's arm. “I'm safe. You got payback. Let him go.”

Quan looked at her love and back to the man in her hands. He was hanging limp, his face and body were beaten bloody. She dropped him unceremoniously to the dirt and gripped the wires connected to her torso. With a yank, she tore the barbs free of her flesh. “Fuck me, that hurts.” She looked at the officers. “You stupid motherfuckers.” She growled.

“No, Anna,” Cerri said. “They're just doing their jobs. You were going to kill him.” She looked down at the broken form. “You may already have.”

“I don't care,” she said, shaking her head. “I don't care what I have to do, what I have to become to keep you safe, baby.” She lifted Cerri from the ground and held her tight. A sob worked its way up through her. “I'm never gonna let you go. Not ever.”

The officers moved toward her cautiously. “Ma'am?” the lead officer addressed her. “I've gotta take you in.”

Quan looked at him with narrow eyes. “And what if I don't want you to? Huh? What are you gonna do, _cop_? You gonna shoot me?”

“Quan, stop it.” Cerri looked at the man. “We'll go peacefully. She's just wired, tired, and on edge. We'll behave.”

Quan sighed and set Cerri down. She turned around and let the officer put handcuffs on her. She did thank him for not making them too tight. “We're not going in separate cars,” she said to the officer. “That's final.”

He simply nodded and escorted her to the police car. As he helped her and Cerri in, he looked back at the van. “The guys at the station are not going to believe this.”


	33. Chapter 33

Once again, Cerridwen found herself sitting in what looked like a well-appointed meeting room. She sat nursing a coke as she waited for the child advocate to come and speak with her. She was tired as hell and wanted nothing more than to just go home. Her arm hurt from playing the drums and her wrists kind of hurt where she was bound.

She didn't have to wait long. The door opened to reveal an average sized woman in a sharp skirt suit of dark wine-maroon. She had short close-cropped curly brown hair, a pair of soft brown eyes and a very disarming smile. Her cute pixie face was perfect for putting people at ease. She was carrying a pair of file folders with her as well as a Styrofoam cup filled with coffee. Given that it was past two in the morning, the coffee was entirely understandable. It was the reason Cerri had asked for a Coke instead of the proffered Sprite. She moved into the room and set everything on the table. “Good evening, Cassandra. My name is Tiffany Ashlocke.” She offered her hand to the girl.

Cerri sighed and took the woman's hand. “Only my mother called me Cassandra. My stage name is Cerridwen. Call me Cerri.”

Tiffany gave her a saddened look. “I've read your file,” she said, taking a seat. “Sorry about your mother. That had to have been hard.”

Cerri didn't say anything, she simply nodded.

Tiffany swallowed and made a show of looking at her paperwork. “So…why did you pick Cerridwen? What's specific about that name?”

“Gaelic Goddess of dark prophecy and the underworld,” Cerri said. “She's also seen as the Goddess of rebirth and inspiration.”

“That's interesting,” Tiffany said. “How long have you been a drummer?” She looked at her paperwork. “It doesn't say.”

“I got my first drum kit when I was seven,” Cerri said, simply. “Nonstop since then.”

Tiffany looked at her intently. “So how are you feeling?”

“It's two o'clock in the morning, lady,” Cerri said, losing all pretense. “I just played a five-hour concert, got kidnapped by hebephiles, watched as my bandmate raced halfway across town in a supped-up racing truck and tore apart a minivan to get to me back.” She cocked her head. “How the hell do you think I feel? I'm sore, I'm tired, I'm hungry, and I wanna go home.”

“Well, that's the crux of the issue, isn't it?” Tiffany said, softly. “I have to consider your safety.”

The little girl furrowed her brow and leaned forward. “Were you listening to  _anything_ I just said? You miss the part where my friend  _literally_  ripped a minivan apart –  _with her bare hands_ – to get me back from those bastards? Pardon my language but for _fuck's sake_ , woman. How much safer can I be?” Cerri asked her. “Anna tore through that van like it was made of tin foil. I can't really think of anything more impressive than that.”

“I read the report. How exactly was she able to do that?” Tiffany asked. “I have her medical records here. There's no history of narcotics use or performance-enhancing drugs…” She looked over the papers.

“That's because Anna's a health nut. She isn't strong because she uses drugs.” Cerri didn't tell the woman the truth. The chances were good the woman wouldn't believe her anyway. “Tiffany?” She addressed the social worker in all seriousness. As the woman looked at her, Cerri held her eyes. “You should really let me go.”

“There are some concerns-,”

“I'm not joking,” Cerri said. “You really need to cut me and Anna loose. No one, and I mean,  _no one_  in this precinct is prepared for what's gonna come through those doors if we don't get home soon.”

Tiffany looked at her a moment. “What do you mean by that?”

“Pray you never,  _ever_  have to find out.” Cerri's tone put the woman on edge. There was something in the way the little girl said what she had that sent a shiver up the woman's spine.

“Why would you say that?” Tiffany asked her. Her voice quivered, despite her best efforts to keep it steady.

“Look, Tiffany. I'm being as nice as I can. But my patience is starting to wear really damn thin. I don't give two shits what it says in your paperwork, there. Surrounded by Quan, Neo, Talia, Rain, and the twins, I'm the safest girl on the planet. What happened to me tonight? If I hadn't have been with Quan, I'd have more likely as not been raped to death and left in an alley somewhere to be a statistic. But  _because_ of her, I'm sitting here in this room with you instead. The police would never have found me in time. And the pieces of shit that did it would be out there tomorrow night trolling for more underage pussy.” She stared the woman in the eye. “So you tell me, where would I be safer? With Quan or in a foster home somewhere with people that are only keeping me around because I'm a payday from the government?”

“It's more complicated than that,” Tiffany said. “What this Annabelle did was, well it put you in danger. She could have killed you with the stunt with the truck.”

“And what would the police have done?” Cerri asked. “They would have thrown spike strips out and shredded the tires. Or they would have had a sniper take the tire out. Maybe they would have pitted the van. Any way you look at it, there's a strong chance that van would have bought it. At the speeds we were moving, it's almost certain that the van would have flipped. I would have been in just as much danger if the police were handling it. It wouldn't have mattered.”

“But the police are professionals,” Tiffany said. “They know how to conduct a chase more safely.”

“I can guarantee you Quan is a better driver than any cop in this city,” Cerri said, steadfast. “Not only that but the city police still drive Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptors. A whopping two hundred and fifty-one break horsepower in a car weighing nearly two tons. Quan was chasing us in a Ford Raptor SVT. Standard four hundred and eleven horses and over three tons. That's excluding the work that she's done to it. She had the right tool for the job.” Cerri shook her head. “And she was actually  _there_. There wasn't a cop to be found until after it was all over.”

Tiffany could see she wasn't getting anywhere. “Well, whether you get to go home or not rests on my recommendation.” She gathered the papers up and set them in a neat pile. “I'm not convinced that you're safe where you are.”

“Don't do this,” Cerri said, sternly. “I'm not kidding, lady. You take me away from Anna and it'll be the biggest mistake you ever make. You separate me from them and you're putting everyone in this building's life at risk. Can you live with yourself, knowing their blood is on your hands?”

“You see, young lady. It's because you say things like that that makes me believe you aren't in a safe environment,” Tiffany said as she rose to her feet. “We'll see what your big friend has to say before I make any kind of decision.”

“Last chance, Tiffany. Cut us loose,” Cerri said. “You don't wanna know the 'or else'.” She shook her head. “You're not ready for that.”

The woman looked at her and sighed. “What happened to you that caused you to say such terrible things?”

Cerri slowly rose to her feet. “When you feel safe when you feel warm.” She stepped around the table toward the woman. “That's when I rise, that's when I crawl. Gliding on mist, hardly a sound.” She stopped within inches of her. “Bringing the kiss, evil's abound.” She leaned in closer, causing Tiffany to back against the wall. “In the dead of night…” She gave the woman a skull-like smile. “Love bites.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Tiffany asked, her voice hitching in her throat.

“Nothing, Miss Ashlocke,” Cerri said, backing away and returning to her seat. “Nothing at all.”

Tiffany quickly left the room.

 

Quan rested her head on the table and did her best to calm her heartbeat and slow her breathing. To save Cerri, she'd nearly exhausted herself. But her night wasn't over and she knew it. If things went south, she'd need her strength to get clear of the station. As it was, her body ached beyond belief and she was near to passing out.

They'd chained her ankles and wrists to the large metal loop on the floor of the interrogation room. She knew it was just to make them feel better. If she wanted to, she probably could have popped the cuffs but she saw no reason to expend the energy.

She lifted her head toward the door as it opened. A short woman with curly hair stepped into the room with a uniformed officer. He had his hand resting on his gun. She could see he wasn't taking any chances. Word had more than likely gotten out about what she'd done to the minivan and how many tasers she'd taken without dropping. So she couldn't really blame him.

The woman took a seat across from Quan and looked intently at her. “You look like you've had a rough night,” she said, her voice stern.

“Had worse,” Quan said. “What's your name?”

“Tiffany. You would be Annabelle Callahan.” At Quan's nod, she continued. “What you did tonight was nothing short of miraculous.” She threaded her fingers together. “It was also incredibly dangerous.”

“Wasn't a whole lotta choice,” Quan said. “I don't like it when people take my stuff.”

“You deliberately put Cassandra's life in danger,” Tiffany said. “You should have-,”

“Should have what?” Quan asked her, anger causing her voice to lower. “Called the police? Waited while they canvassed the town trying to find her?” She tugged on the chains, causing them to rattle. “Sit on my fucking ass while those sons a' bitches fucked Cerri to death and left her in a ditch?” She leaned forward. “Is that what I should have done? Huh?” She calmed down and leaned back. “No.” She shook her head. “I did what I had to do. And I'd fuckin' do it again.” She could see the officer in the room remove the snap on his gun holster. She flicked eyes back to Tiffany.

“I know it's hard for people like you to understand-,”

“People like me?” Quan asked her. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“People with… _abilities_ ,” Tiffany said. “I'm not gonna deny that there's something strange about you, Miss Callahan. Normal people simply put, can't do what you did tonight. You tore the bumper off of a minivan and threw it like a javelin at a moving car. Human beings can't do that. And because you can, you think the law doesn't apply to you.” She shook her head. “But it does. And there probably isn't a law I can think of that you didn't break tonight.”

“What would you have done?” Quan asked her. “If you watched those fuckers take off with someone you loved, what would you have done?”

“This isn't about me.”

“Don't give me that bullshit, bitch. Answer the  _fucking_  question. You had the ability to stop them from taking someone you loved, what would you do? Would you just stand there with your fucking thumb up your ass and let the cops handle it, or would you wage total fucking war to get them back?”

Tiffany sighed and lowered her head. “I guess I'd try to get them back.”

“There you go.” She pointed to the cop in the room. “You'd do the same thing.” He gave her a nod. “So you don't have the right to sit there and chastise me for doing exactly what you would have done.”

“Do you think Cassandra is safe living with you?” Tiffany asked. “She's my primary concern.”

“I think tonight proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that she's mine, too,” Quan said. “I'll go to my grave making sure she's kept safe.”

“I've had a chance to look at her medical records.” She stared at Quan. “You know what I found?”

“She fucked her arm up several months ago,” Quan said, her voice tight. “I know.”

“You seem very angry about that. Do you feel responsible?”

“Yes,” Quan said, softly. “Not a day goes by that I don't feel responsible for what happened to her.”

“Why would you feel guilty for an accident?” Tiffany asked.

“Doesn't matter. Cerri doesn't blame me.” Quan wiped her tears from her eyes. “She forgives me.”

Tiffany furrowed her brow and turned to the officer. “Can you give us the room, please?” He looked at Quan and back to her, raising an eyebrow. “I'll be fine. She won't hurt me.” He quietly left the room. She rose from her seat and moved to the camera in the corner of the room and pulled the cord from the back of it. “We're completely alone in here. No one's watching or listening in,” Tiffany said, taking the chair and sliding it around to the side close to Quan.

“It's dangerous being this close to me,” the big girl offered softly.

“I'll take my chances,” Tiffany said. She pulled a key out of her pocket and unlocked Quan's chains. “In light of what I've seen you do, I'm pretty sure these wouldn't even slow you down.” Quan nodded, rubbing her wrists. “I'm going to ask you a few questions, and I want honest answers, alright?”

“Just don't get pissed if you don't like what I have to say,” Quan said.

“I'll keep that in mind,” Tiffany said. “You love her, don't you?”

“She's my best friend,” Quan said, neutrally.

“More than that,” Tiffany said. “You  _love_  her.” Quan bit her lip and looked away from the woman. She didn't answer. Which, to Tiffany, was all the answer she needed. “How long?”

“Year or so,” Quan said, her voice barely a whisper. “I fought it, I really did. But…”

“She wouldn't take no for an answer.”

Quan smiled. “When my little Cerri wants something, she goes after it. She's a pit bull. She won't let go.”

“She's only thirteen, Annabelle,” Tiffany said.

“God, dammit, I know,” she said, tears in her eyes. “I think about it every time she's near me. But I can't help it.” She looked at Tiffany. “You ever been in love?”

“I was. I know exactly how you feel. The law is pretty damn clear,” Tiffany said. “But I can't sit here and say I don't see it. The way her eyes light up when she talks about you and the way you melt when you talk about her. If that isn't love, I don't know what is.”

“Cerri's not like girls her age. I know a lot of people say that but…” She lowered her eyes and shook her head.

“Oh, I figured that out pretty early on. She's smart, very, very mature, and as strong-willed as it gets.”

“I was scared,” Quan said. “Tonight, I was terrified and angry. I reacted. I didn't think about what I was doing. Instinct just took over.”

“I know. I can't blame you for what you did. It was very brave. I would have done the same in your place.” She sighed. “I don't like it…but I'm not in the habit of arguing with what my eyes and my gut tells me. I honestly thought about taking Cassandra and putting her in a foster home tonight.” She saw the flash of anger in Quan's eyes. “But I'm not going to. Because I don't like to break up families. And that's exactly what you girls are.”

“Thank you,” Quan said, trying not to cry.

“She said something that made me curious,” Tiffany said. “She said that if I didn't cut you both lose that no one would be prepared for what would come through the door. What did she mean?”

Quan smiled. “She's talking about Neo. Our lead singer.”

“What about her?”

“She’s psychotic,” Quan said. “But she also loves all of us more than life itself.”

“Is Cassandra safe around her?” Tiffany asked her.

“If she believed for one minute that Cerri was in danger, there is  _literally_  nothing she wouldn't do to save her. When any of our group's safety is concerned? Neo has no conscience. She has no moral compass, no scruples, no principles. Life, human or otherwise means nothing to her. Our safety is _all_ that matters to her. She'd be willing to let the world burn if our little family could be safe in the ashes.”

“Has she killed people?” Tiffany asked.

“That's a question you'd have to ask Neo,” Quan said. “But Cerri is right. You all should really let us go. Neo's going to be worried.” She shook her head. “You don't want her worried, believe me.”

Tiffany stared at her. “Maybe you um, you should call her. Let her know that you're fine.”

 

“So you and Cerri are okay?” Neo asked. “You don't need us to come and get you? We will, you know.”

“Yeah. I know,” Quan said. “Like a God damn tornado, you'd rip through this place and put motherfuckers in intensive care. But you don't need to. We're just finishing up a bit of paperwork. We should be home in an hour or two.”

“Alright,” Neo said. “Does this mean you two  _won't_  be bringing home food?”

Rain and Talia both snickered.

“Sorry. Kinda left the groceries sitting on the floor of the store. On account of, you know, kidnapping and all,” Quan said. “You could just order pizza or something.”

“Not at three in the morning, I can't,” Neo said. “Fuck. Now I'm mad. God dammit.”

“Fuck your girlfriends or something,” Quan said. “I'm sure they're willin'.”

“Nope. Gotta find something to kick the shit out of,” Neo said. “I'm goin' patrolling.” She handed the phone to Talia. “You talk to her. I gotta go vent some frustration.”

Talia took the phone as Rain stepped up to Neo. “Did you want me to come with you?”

“If you want to,” Neo said. “I could use the company.” She looked at Talia. “What about you, British? You wanna tag along?”

“I'm rather tired, to be honest,” she said as she finished up the call with Quan. “I'll stay in if it's all the same to you. Why don't you two go and have fun?”

“Fair enough,” Neo said, kissing her intently. “We'll see you in a couple of hours. Just gotta find something to whoop up on.”

“I understand,” Talia said, smiling. She pulled Rain in and kissed her. “Take care of her and do your best to keep her out of trouble.”

“I will,” the girl said, embracing the woman. “See you later.”

Neo strapped on her body armor and pulled on her weighted gloves. Rain likewise pulled on her armor and dropped the collapsible longbow into the carrying case on her back. “Let's roll.”

“God I hope there's something out here,” Neo said as they stepped out of the trailer. “I really need to vent some rage.”

“I'm sure we'll find something,” Rain said. She moved up beside Neo and took her hand in hers. “If you don't find anything, you can always take your frustration out on me.”

Neo chuckled. “I don't think you know how this works.”

Rain gripped Neo's hair tightly and plundered the potential's mouth with her tongue. For several seconds the pair held the embrace. Then Rain pulled away and began walking again. “I think I can figure it out.”


	34. Chapter 34

Rain cast her eyes about as she walked down the streets of the sleepy California town. In the dead of the early morning, there were very few people out and about. She couldn't help but feel a bit conspicuous in the black body armor and assault vest. The fact that she was also carrying a collapsible composite bow on her back and a quiver of arrows didn't help. She understood the need for it all, she really did but that did little to make her feel better.

She looked over at Neo. The potential, unlike her, was extremely comfortable clad as she was. She didn't seem to spare any consideration on what people thought of how she dressed. When the pair of them stopped and picked up drinks from the local convenience store, Neo didn't bat an eyelash. The clerk was nervous as hell but did his job and took the girl's cash.

Now they were again on the move, searching every nook and cranny of the town for something –  _anything_  – supernatural for Neo to take her aggressions out on.

“I've been kind of wondering,” Rain began. They'd been walking for almost an hour and hadn't found squat.

“About what?” Neo asked her, taking a pull off of her water.

“About Cerridwen and Quan.” She felt her breath hitch when Neo's angry eyes snapped to her. “It doesn't… _bother_  anyone that they get…you know?”

“Does it freak any of us out that they fuck?” Neo asked, wanting clarification. As Rain nodded, Neo shook her head. “Cerri's been through hell. I defy you to find anyone twice the kid's age that's been through the shit she has. The night we met her was the night she stopped being a little girl,” Neo said, turning back to the road ahead. “So no. It doesn't really bother us. She's young but she's not a kid.”

“But the law…”

“Fuck the law,” Neo said. “Get right down to it, the law could come down on Tal like a ton of bricks for the shit she's done with me.” Neo looked at her. “I'm barely seventeen, same as you. Talia's well into her thirties. According to the law, that makes her a statutory rapist,” Neo said, anger causing her voice to harden. “But any motherfucker that wants to make hay about it better pack a lunch 'cause they're in for a long fuckin' day.”

Rain just chuckled. “How did Cerri hook up with you all, anyway?”

“Quan and I were doing a patrol of downtown Portland. Was probably midnight, maybe a hair after. We were in Quan's van cruising along the road beside the Max tracks. Vamps like to cruise the platform, trolling for neck,” Neo began.

 

Neo kept her eyes on the platform as Quan slowly drove along. “I can't believe how many there were at Gateway.” The big girl said. “Six at one stop is pretty damn serious.” She looked at her companion. “It's getting worse.”

“No, it isn't.” The potential returned. “It's getting better.”

“There are more vamps than there used to be.” Quan reiterated.

“I know. I just said that.” Neo squinted, shook her head and leaned back.

“More vampires are bad,” Quan said, looking intently at the girl.

“Depends on your point of view, I guess. I kind of like the idea of having a fuck ton of vampires to kick the shit out of.” She lifted her arm and scratched the space around the tightly wrapped bandage about her left elbow. “Fuck, this hurts.”

“You should get that looked at,” Quan said.

“Why?” Neo asked. “It was dislocated, not broken. I set it, bandaged it and taped it up. What do you think a hospital would have done beside cast it up or put my shit into a splint?” She shook her head. “I can't go without using my arm. Besides that, you've seen how fast I heal. This'll be good in about a week.”

Quan just shook her head and turned back to the road. “You're fuckin' insane. Sometimes I wonder-,”

“Stop the van,” Neo said, pointing. “We got one.”

“How can you…?” Quan began to ask.

“No reflection in the glass,” Neo said. “He's goin' after that woman and her kid.”

Quan gunned it when she saw the man lunge at the woman. The little girl screamed and fell to the ground as the vampire went game face and pulled the woman in. “Fuck,” she said, stomping on the brakes.

Neo was out the door and running for the platform before the van had come to a stop. She ran as fast as her legs would allow. She sailed past the pair, wrapping her arms about the vampire's waist and dragging him off of the paling woman as she did so. The potential and her prey went down in a tumble.

Quan was hot on her heels. She saw that Neo had the vampire in hand and knelt beside the woman, dialing 9-1-1. Knowing what she did of the wound, there was nothing that could be done. She would bleed out before an ambulance ever got close.

Neo rolled to her back and kicked herself to her feet. Her movement not hampered in the least by the spiked football pads she wore. As the vampire scrambled to a vertical base, her fist was there to meet him. His head cracked to the side. He was thrown against the pillar of the awning over the dais. She gripped his long greasy hair and pulled his head back, slamming it against the metal. “She had a daughter you motherfucker.” She growled at him. He pried her fingers from his hair and drew back, punching her across the cheek. She looked at him with rage in her eyes. “Don't fucking hit me, you son of a bitch,” she said before putting a boot to his stomach. He staggered back. She ran and jumped, punching him with enough force to throw him to the concrete. “Don't you  _ever_  fucking hit me.” She gripped him by his throat and lifted him from the ground. “You pieces of shit need to fuckin' learn this is _my_ Goddamn city.” She snatched a stake from her belt and rammed it into his chest, turned and threw him out into the night. He spun into a dusty cloud as he disintegrated. “Fucker.” She replaced the stake and turned to her friend.

Quan stood, holding the woman's daughter in her arms as she cried. “Shh,” Quan said, doing her best to calm her. She looked into Neo's eyes and slowly shook her head.

Neo growled and turned, putting her fist through the thick double-paned glass partition between the platforms. “FUCK!” she screamed at the top of her lungs. She managed to get her pads and motocross padding pulled off and thrown in the van by the time the ambulance and police showed up.

Neo and Quan took the girl to the police station. They learned that her name was Cassandra 'call me Sandy' Hills and that she had just turned twelve and was celebrating her birthday with her mother. Neo drove as Quan held the girl in the back of the van, explaining what had happened and who they were.

“H-he was a vampire?” Sandy asked, her voice trembling. “But they're not…”

“Really?” Neo asked, turning to look at her. “Did you  _not_  see the fucker gnawing on your mom's neck, kid? Do normal fuckin' people do that shit?”

“Jesus Christ Neo. Shut the fuck up.” Quan snarled at her. “Look at the fuckin' road and let me handle this.” She shook her head and looked at Sandy. She pushed a lock of hair from the girl's eyes. “You gotta forgive my friend. She's an insensitive cunt sometimes.”

Neo, for her part, snorted derisively. “Sometimes?” she asked to no one in particular.

“As hard as this is to believe, vampires and monsters  _are_  real. Movies, comic books, and stories have just pushed them into the realm of fantasy. But they're as real as you and me.”

“And you – the pair of you – fight them?” Sandy asked, looking from Quan to Neo.

“God damn right we do,” Neo said. She let out a guttural growl. “And if I weren't so  _fucking_  slow, I coulda saved your mom.”

“It isn't your fault, Neo,” Quan said. “You can't save everyone.”

“Then I ain't fuckin' tryin' hard enough!” the potential shouted.

Sandy watched the anger, the pure boiling rage well up within the girl. She got to her knees and crawled toward the front seat and hugged Neo from behind, causing the potential to physically start. “Don't blame yourself,” she said, softly. “If not for you, I'd be dead with her. I'll never blame you. Not ever.”

Neo was rigid and remained that way.

“Sandy sweetie?” Quan motioned the girl toward her. “Come here, doll.” Sandy patted Neo on the shoulder and crawled back to the larger girl. “Don't ever do that.”

“Don't ever do what?” she asked, cocking her head.

“Thank Neo. Don't ever,  _ever_  do that. She hates being thanked for what she does.”

“Why?” She looked at the potential.

“Because that ain't why I do it. I do it because it's right. I do it because I've got the skills, the strength, and the ability. Anyone who fights monsters for the praise is doing it for the wrong reasons,” Neo said. “People really wanna show gratitude, throw in for a pizza or a tank of gas. Thank you doesn't get the rent paid.”

“Well…where do you guys live?” Sandy asked.

“You're sitting in it,” Quan said. “We live in the van.”

Sandy looked around. “Oh.” It was obvious, now that she knew what to look for. “It's cozy.”

“It's fuckin' pathetic is what it is,” Neo said, pulling to a stop. “We're here.” She turned to Sandy. “They're probably gonna put you in a foster home. You'll be safe.”

“But…” Sandy looked at her and Quan. “I wanna stay with you both.”

“You really wanna live in a van, kid?” Neo asked. “Doubt the state'll go for that.”

“You can move into the apartment my mom and I live in,” Sandy said. “It's a three bedroom.”

“It isn't that simple, sweetie,” Quan said, resting a hand on the girl's shoulder.

Before Sandy could say anything else, the side door slid open. A pair of uniformed officers flanked a woman in a pair of slacks and a maroon blouse. “Cassandra? My name is Brenda. Why don't you come and talk to me, okay?” She then looked to Quan and Neo. “Thanks for bringing her.”

“Yeah,” Neo said, turning back to the front. “Whatever.”

Quan sighed and shook her head. “What's gonna happen to her?”

“Well, we have to determine if she has any family…”

“First off, don't talk in front of me like I'm not here,” Sandy said, snappish. “And let me save you the trouble. No. I have no family. At least none that'll take me in. Grandparents are all dead. Dad died in a car crash nine years ago. I don't even remember him. Mom's only sister is a deadbeat, works for minimum wage at Burger King in Point Defiance and snorts most of her paycheck up her nose. So no, I've got no family.” She took Quan's arm. “But I feel safe with these two. Why can't I just stay with them?”

Brenda sighed and ran her fingers through her long blonde hair. “There are circumstances that…let's go inside and we'll talk about it, okay?”

Sandy looked at Quan with panic in her eyes. “I don't wanna go to a foster home.”

Quan felt tears in her own eyes and pulled the girl in. “Could you give us a minute?” she asked Brenda.

“Sure,” the woman said. “I'll be right inside. If you could just…”

“We'll bring her in,” Neo said, looking at the woman. “Now go away.”

The woman swallowed as she looked into the girl's angry eyes. She slowly closed the door and moved away from the van.

Quan looked at Neo. “You, too.”

Neo immediately nodded. “There's a store across the street. I'm gonna grab something to drink. You want somethin', kid?”

“She's fine, Neo. Just go, please.”

“I'm goin', I'm goin'.” Neo offered, climbing out of the van. She saw one of the young officers looking at her. “What the fuck are you staring at?” She snarled at him. He was taken aback and immediately averted his eyes. “Thought so,” she said, before trotting across the street.

“I wanna stay with you,” Sandy said, crying. “I feel safe with you. I feel safe with both of you. I won't feel safe anywhere else, I just know it. I'm gonna be scared all the time.”

Quan bit her lip and looked at the ceiling of the van. “I'm sorry, sweetie. It's for the best. What kind of life would you have with us?” She asked. “We fight monsters, Sandy. What we do isn't safe.”

“But you'll always come back to me,” Sandy said. “You and Neo won't let anything happen to me.” She smiled. “And I can help you. I can help you fight monsters.”

“I am not letting you-,”

“I don't mean doing what you guys do. Going out and fighting. I'm a hacker. I can…” She though a moment. “I can hack into traffic cameras, surveillance systems, and stuff. I can trace license plate numbers. And I can give you a place to live. Our apartment is really big and it's not really that expensive.” She shrugged. “What's to lose?”

“I just turned sixteen,” Quan said. “I don't really have a job. Neither does Neo. We live off of what we can take from vampires when we beat the crap out of them. For God's sake, we get food stamps. That's how we eat.”

“There's nothing wrong with that,” Sandy said.

“There's also the legal ramifications,” Quan said. “You can't just-,”

“Gimme your phone. Mine's at home,” Sandy said, holding her hand out. “Does it have internet connectivity?”

“Yeah. I got a data plan,” Quan said, holding her phone out to the girl.

“Nice,” Sandy said, sitting down and getting to work. “I'll just hack the CPS servers…” she said, typing away. “I need your social security number.”

“Why?” Quan asked.

“I'm also gonna need your date of birth and full name. It's for the profile.”

“Annabelle Callahan,” Quan said.

“Annabelle?” Sandy asked, smiling. “That's a really pretty name.” She went back to the phone. “I'm listing you as my primary guardian in the system. Once I'm processed by the department, I'll be placed in your custody. I've already put in that the inspections have been done and that you passed the background check.” She nodded. “Yeah, you're squeaky clean as it is.”

“You just did all that?” Quan asked her.

“Not that hard, actually,” Sandy said, grinning. She finished up and handed Quan back her phone. “There we go. You might have to fill out some paperwork inside but it shouldn't be that hard.”

“Um…okay,” Quan said, not sure what else to say.

“Come on. Let's get this over with so we can go home.”

 

“So…she just clung onto the heroes that saved her and never let go, huh?” Rain asked.

Neo chuckled and turned to look at her. “Yeah. Seems to be a thing with us.”

“So I noticed.” The girl offered. “So when did they start…”

“Shush,” Neo said, stopping. “Check it out,” she said, grinning widely. “Looks like we gotta live one.” She pointed across the street. “He just walked past that bay window and didn't have a reflection.”

“Wouldn't that make him a dead one, technically?” Rain asked as she reached back for her bow.

“Fuckin' all literal and shit,” Neo said as she began walking toward him. “All I know is he's gonna…” She frowned as the vampire looked at the pair of them and bolted into an alley. “Hey, motherfucker! You can't just run!” She took off at a sprint. Rain saw him vanish and quickly outdistanced Neo. “Holy shit,” she said, surprised. “Girl can run.”

Rain wasn't listening. She rounded the corner, catching sight of the vampire running for everything he was worth. He turned and pushed a dumpster into her path. She quickly jumped, planting her hands on the top and vaulted over it without slowing down. She made it a dozen strides when she heard the heavy  _bang_  and clatter of the bin being thrown aside to slam into the wall of the lane, indicating that Neo was hot on her heels. The vampire came to a chain link fence and scaled it quickly.

Rain raced on, undeterred. She moved to the side of the alley and deftly bounced from the fence to the wall and back to the fence, shooting over it without breaking stride. She hit the concrete on the other side and kept running.

Neo growled and shook her head. “Yeah, I ain't goin' over that,” she said defeated. She kicked into a higher gear and, at the last minute dove at the center of the fence, impacting with her back. The posts of the tall fence held fast…but the fencing  _itself_  was a different story. The braces that held the internal mesh gave way and she slammed back first to the concrete beyond. She rolled to a stop and groaned. “That hurt,” she said, rising to her feet. She was again running as fast as she could. Her arm was sore from impacting the dumpster and now her back hurt. “Not fucking happy.” She growled.

The vampire risked a look back. The armor-clad girl with the bow was a yard or two back and easily keeping pace with him. Everything he'd put in her way hadn't even slowed her down. He turned a corner and entered the residential alleyway. He leaped over the top of a large GMC Denali as it backed out of a driveway.

The rig screeched to a stop. Rain dove and flipped sideways over the hood, again not breaking stride.

Neo snarled and jumped, sliding 'Dukes of Hazzard' style across the hood. “Sorry,” she said, as she regained her feet.

The driver watched the display, shook his head and continued on. “Fuckin' teenagers.”

Rain was actually having a blast. She couldn't wipe the grin off her face as she ran. It had been ages since she could run like this for just the sheer joy of it. Yes, she was chasing a vampire. That was a little scary but it was made better by one fact. He was running  _from_  her, not after her. That made a world of difference.

The vampire was frantic to lose the girl. He tried knocking over trash cans, piles of pallets, and even old abandoned furniture. And the girl behind him just jumped, flipped and vaulted over it like it wasn't even there.

Neo saw the old broken china hutch too late as it slammed to the ground. Her foot plummeted down into the back of it and she pitched forward in the dark. She shoulder rolled to her feet. “Fuck, that hurts,” she said as she limped a few steps. “I'm really gonna enjoy fuckin' this bastard up.”

The undead monster rounded another bend and exited into an industrial park. To one side was a massive line of varying height wooden fences. To the other was low, squat warehouses and shipping centers. Semi-trailers dotted the lot.

“Time to slow you down a little,” Rain said, as she pulled her bow from her back. She hit the release and expanded it. At a run, she drew and knocked an arrow. As the vampire turned and made for the fence, she fired. His hand reached up and grabbed the wood and was immediately pinned in place. He screamed in pain. She let fly with another arrow, taking him through the bursa of his right knee.

She drew back another arrow and prepared to let fly when Neo finally came to a stop beside her. “Jesus Christ, you're fast,” she said, breathing heavily.

“Well, I  _am_  a free runner,” Rain said, smiling. “What do you wanna do with him?”

Neo was about to speak when the man was whisked skyward to disappear in the darkness. “What the fuck was that?” she asked, looking around. “What the _actual_  fuck?”

“There,” Rain said, pointing to the roof of a building several yards away.

The pair looked on as a tall figure in a black hooded cloak held their vampire by the throat over the edge of the building with a single arm.

“There's a ladder right there,” Rain said, bolting toward it.

“Wait, dammit,” Neo said, following behind the girl. She watched as Rain shot up the ladder without hesitation. “Fuckin'…” She climbed as fast as she could. They reached the roof one after another. As Neo hit the ground, Rain was off and running toward the pair, her bow in her hand.

“Rain, stop!” Neo shouted. The girl slid to a halt. The potential walked over and cuffed her across the back of the head.

“Ow!” Rain said, rubbing her head. “What was that for?”

“For bein' a fuckin' idiot,” Neo said. She pointed to the pair at the edge of the roof. “He's holding a vampire in one hand by the throat. You  _really_  think you can take him?”

The girl frowned but looked and let her face fall. “Good point.”

“Look, I'm glad you got some confidence to ya but – and I can't believe  _I'm_  the one saying this – you can't run off half-cocked like that. You're gonna get yourself killed.”

Rain smiled. “No. If there's  _anyone_ that can lecture someone else on being careless it's you. You got more experience with that than Paula Deen does cooking.”

“Yeah so, you know. That,” Neo said. “Now let's go get our vampire back.” She turned and walked straight up to the pair. The closer she got, the more confused she was.

The figure in black spoke in a deep, rich and cultured voice. “I have made it as clear as is possible, worm,” he said, gripping the vampire's neck tighter. The dead man was swinging over the ledge of the building freely. “Your kind is not welcome here. The demons have figured it out. The warlocks and witches have figured it out but you filthy vampires just don't seem to want to listen.”

“But…you're my kind, too,” the vampire said hoarsely.

“No, vermin. I most definitely am  _not_   _your_  kind,” the shadowy man said. “I have been endlessly polite with you. I told you last night what would happen if I found you again, didn't I?” He pulled the vamp in. “Did you think I was jesting?”

“Fine. I'll leave. I'll never darken your town again,” the vampire said, terrified.

“Oh, time for mercy is long past.” The figure pulled a long and polished wooden pole from beneath his cloak. “It would only be wasted upon one such as you.” He released the vampire and quickly thrust with the wooden implement, impaling the undead beast through the heart. “And I do so hate to be wasteful.”

“Damn,” Neo said, nodding. “Nice.”

The man turned toward the pair. “Ah, the infamous Neo Knight.” He took a bow. “I am honored by your presence. Word of your prowess and exploits are oft spoken works of supernatural lore.” He looked at Rain. “Forgive my ignorance, my lady. I am unfamiliar with you.”

“Oh, that's okay,” Rain said, grinning. “I'm new.” She moved to offer her hand but Neo quickly put a hand on her chest to stop her. “What…?”

“He's a vampire,” Neo said, shaking her head. “Old as fuck, too.”

He gave her a predatory grin. “Your observation skills are indeed on par with what I would expect of someone with your reputation. Tell me. What gave me away?”

“I would say the freakish upper body strength but really you ain't done anything I couldn't do.” He gave her nod, admitting she was right. “But you aren't breathing, for one. And, given that it's hot as Satan's sack out here, you aren't sweating. After everything you just did, wearing that Artemis Entreri cosplay getup, you should be soaked.” She shook her head. “You're not. That tells me that you're both dead  _and_  old.” She cracked her knuckles and crossed her arms. “Now comes the fun part. You explaining to me why I don't show you exactly what I'm made of and dust your cultured ass.”

“Simple,” he said, shrugging. “You have no cause to.”

“You sayin' you got a soul, bud? 'Cause I highly doubt that.”

“And you'd be right to. I am indeed a vampire. And yes, I feed off of the blood of the living. I feel no guilt or remorse doing so. I did not ask for what was done to me and do not feel the need to weigh myself down with regret for being what I am. Humans such as yourself do not feel guilty when you imbibe a cheeseburger or a steak. Why I should I disparage what I eat?”

“Because when I take a bite out of a steak, it doesn't look me in the eye and scream for me to stop,” Neo said.

“Surely you have seen what goes on in a slaughterhouse,” he offered.

“And please notice that I don't work in a  _fuckin'_ slaughterhouse,” Neo said. “But I've been through plenty and none of them bother me.” She stepped forward. “You're going to have to do better if you wanna walk away from this. Though, to be fair the fact that you're takin' out your own is kind of interesting to me.”

“They are not  _my own_ ,” he said, also taking a step forward. “Do not  _dare_  to lump me in with those…vermin.”

“Hey, to-may-to, to-mah-to. You're all vampires to me, pal. You all dust the same,” Neo said. “And just so you don't get any delusions of grandeur, I've killed motherfuckers a lot older and a lot more powerful than you. So don't think you can drop the thousand-yard stare on me…” She grinned. “And make me nervous.”

“No, I know your reputation quite well. You are completely and utterly without fear,” he said to her. “I would not challenge you unless it was unavoidable.”

“And it's quickly reaching that platitude, fuck-stick.”

“I keep this town safe,” he said, stepping back and holding his arms out wide. “I permit nothing to hunt here. I permit no challengers to my throne. Every demon, vampire, and malevolent beast are quickly and decisively dispatched. Niravatheu will have nothing less than complete supremacy.”

Rain and Neo both looked at each other. “Wait, what's that name again?” Neo asked.

“Forgive my rudeness.” He again bowed grandly. “I am Niravatheu.”

Neo chuckled and looked at him. “That is…a  _really_  cool name. I mean, normally you get like, Anubis or Heidenreich or some shit. But Niravatheu is fucking spectacular.” Rain nodded her agreement. “Seriously original. Points to you, man.”

“Why thank you,” he said, happily.

“But you're still a vampire and you still eat people,” Neo said, seriously.

“Granted. But those I select are either transients, with nothing to lose and no one to leave behind, or willing partners found in dance clubs and social circles of similar fashion.  _Those_  I leave living to provide possible nourishment later on, should they so be willing. I am very selective about what I do. I do not create more children as that would simply be more competition.” He smiled at her. “And be honest. How long have you been in this city? How many other monsters have you encountered?”

“Aside from a group of fuckin' pedophiles that tried to kidnap our drummer, none,” Neo admitted.

Niravatheu frowned. “Even after nine centuries of life, the evil that men do never ceases to disgust me.”

“Definitely something we can agree on,” Neo said. She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. “You know what, fuck it. Eggs and omelets. If all you do is kill bums and drain horny club bunnies, I'm not gonna sweat it. You're keepin' your shit in check. You keep the town safe, for the most part. That's enough for me.” She looked to Rain. “How do you feel about it?”

“I've seen people starve to death on the streets. And I've seen bums literally get beaten to death by gang members for what little they had. Truthfully, I think it's almost a kindness.” She looked at him. “You do more good than harm.”

“Doing the opposite would only garner negative attention.” He looked at Neo. “And there is certain people's attention I would much rather avoid.”

“Smart man,” Neo said, turning to leave. “See you 'round, Niravatheu.” She chuckled. “Fuck, that's an awesome name. Put it on a t-shirt or some shit.”


	35. Chapter 35

Rain couldn't sleep. She climbed out of the bed she shared with Neo and Talia and went into the small wet room to take a shower. She dried herself off and slid on a pair of shorts and a tank top. She stepped out and went into the small kitchen. The sisters were both sound asleep to the side. She moved about gingerly, doing her best not to wake them.

She prepped a sandwich and took a can of soda from the fridge and headed outside to sit on the roof of the trailer and watch the sunrise. She was surprised to see Quan sitting in one of the chaise lounges with Cerridwen curled up in her lap. The big woman looked at her and smiled as she came up. “We didn't wake you up, did we?” Quan asked.

“No. I couldn't sleep.” She held the sandwich up. “I was kinda hungry.”

Quan nodded and leaned back.

Rain ate her sandwich and drank her soda in silence. After about a half hour of quiet, she turned to Quan. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure,” the larger girl returned.

“You and Cerri…” she said, motioning between them. “How did this begin?”

“How did we become serious?” Quan asked. At Rain's nod, she sighed. “With a little girl not taking no for an answer.” She looked down at the petite drummer. “Neo and I had just finished patrolling. We were heading home and having a rather serious conversation…”

 

“I think he broke a rib,” Neo said, running her hands along her side. “Fuck that hurts,” she said. She reached up and tapped the button for the dome light. She groaned when it didn't turn on. “Dammit. You really need to get this piece of shit fixed.”

Quan turned to look at her. “You can walk, you know.” She then reached up and slammed her hand into the light, causing it to flicker to life. “Takes a gentle touch.”

“Right. Gentle as a jackhammer,” Neo said. She lifted her shirt and looked at her right side. “Yeah, that fucker's broken.” She pressed her hands to the front of her abdomen and the back. She let out her breath and squeezed. An angry  _click_  sounded into the car. “That's better,” she said, pulling her shirt down. “Pisses me off.”

“A vampire ax-kicked you in the ribs,” Quan said. “You're lucky you're not dead.” She shook her head. “I can't believe you tore his fuckin' eye out and made him swallow it.”

“That's what the fucker gets for kickin' me,” Neo said. “You think Sandy…”

“She goes by Cerridwen now,” Quan said. “She said Sandy died the night her mother died.”

“Cerridwen,” Neo said, shaking her head. “That's gotta be the stupidest name I've ever heard.”

“You have any idea how dumb  _Neo_  sounds?” Quan asked her. “Matrix fan much?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Neo said, shaking her head. “Does it, like, mean something? Or is it just because she's weird?”

“A lot of column A, little of column B,” Quan said. “Gaelic Goddess of the underworld and dark prophecy. I looked it up.”

Neo chuckled. “Okay, that's kind of badass, actually.” She turned to Quan. “She definitely has a thing for you.”

“That's fucked up, Neo.”

“Look me in the eye and tell me you don't fuckin' see it,” Neo said. “Come on. Look me in the eye and tell me.”

Quan just stared straight ahead. “She's twelve, Neo.”

“Like that fuckin' matters. Besides that, she's had to grow up pretty fast, Quan,” the potential offered. “She's been through some shit. She ain't like most kids her age. Being a fuckin' hyper-genius doesn't hurt.”

“It's wrong,” Quan said. “It's all wrong.”

“Yeah, well pretty soon here, you're either gonna have to ride that train or break her heart,” Neo said, softly. “And I don't think you can, Quan. I don't think you have it in you.”

“Just…” She looked at Neo. “Shut the fuck up.”

“Just sayin',” Neo said, looking out the window. “Time's comin'.”

Quan knew the girl was right. Over the course of the past few months, ever since the pair had moved into the apartment Cerri used to share with her mother, the girl had been infatuated with the big woman. She sat close to her and last night, asked if she could stay in Quan's room with her after they'd watched a scary movie.

But Quan knew that it was indeed only a matter of time before she had to dash Cerri's hopes of there being more to their relationship than simple friendship. Propriety wouldn't allow for anything more.

There was however a part of the big woman that found the love that Cerri had been developing to be intoxicating. Her entire life had been spent in the company of her grandfather. Moving from country to country in pursuit of physical and martial perfection was her existence. She had never had time for friends and even less for romance. Given her physical stature, most men and even more women had no interest.

No one wanted to date someone that could tear them apart and looked it. So she'd been alone her entire life. Nothing to concentrate on but learning to fight.

Now, there was Cerri. The girl saw past all of the physical and could see Quan for what she was. And Quan liked that. She craved it. And it would have been absolutely textbook…if the loving eyes that viewed her didn't belong to a girl Cerri's age.

They pulled into the parking lot of the apartment building and climbed out. Neo slung the massive duffel bag over her shoulder and carried it up the stairs. Quan pulled the keys out and unlocked the door. “We're home.” She announced loudly.

Cerridwen came out of the kitchen wearing an apron. “Hey,” she said, running over and hugging Quan tightly. She then offered one to Neo as well. “Glad you guys are safe. I'm making dinner.”

“Whatcha got goin' on?” Neo asked as she stuffed her duffel into the coat closet.

“Chicken Strips and Potato salad,” Cerri said, happily. “I've had the salad going in the fridge all day.”

“Is that what was in that giant bowl with the tin foil on it?” Neo asked.

“Yep. That's why I wouldn't let you get into it.”

“Well, I'm gonna go take a shower.” She looked at Quan and flicked her eyes to the smaller girl and grinned.

“Go on, get,” Quan said, shooing Neo away.

“Are you hungry?” Cerri asked the bigger fighter.

“I could eat.” Quan returned. She followed the girl into the kitchen. Cerri took a few of the strips out of the tray she placed them in and put them onto the plate. She then spooned out a couple of scoops of potato salad and set it down on the table for her.

“Did you want ranch?” Cerri asked her, smiling brightly. The girl was so proud.

“Sure,” Quan said, not able to help herself. She took the bottle as Cerri handed it to her. She dropped a dollop on her plate. She took one of the strips and dipped it before taking a bite. It was a touch dry but had a good flavor.

Cerri watched her eat, clutching a hand towel. She desperately wanted the meal to be good and worked very hard on it. She knew she wasn't the best cook but she did try.

Quan could see the girl's nervousness. “This is pretty good,” she said, finally. She decided that it would be best if she were honest with her. “I'll admit, the chicken is a bit dry but that happens with breast meat.” She added. She dipped it in more ranch and gobbled it up.

“Do you really like it?” Cerri asked.

Quan took a bite of the potato salad and was  _very_  surprised. It was actually very tasty. She noticed the tart taste of dill, which she loved. The potatoes were done to perfection. She even caught the hint of bacon. “Okay, this is  _really_  good,” she said, taking another bite.

Neo came out of the bathroom, drying her hair. She saw the pair talking and made her way over, after draping the towel around her neck. “I'll eat in my room,” she said, snatching a plate and a good portion of the strips. She ladled out a healthy helping of potato salad and took a bite. “Damn, kid. This shit kicks ass. Dig the bacon bits in it.” She ruffled Cerri's hair as she moved past. “Thanks for the nosh.”

Cerri smiled at her and nodded. “You're welcome, Neo,” she said, happily. She watched the girl head into the room she occupied and closed the door.

Quan sat quietly and ate her meal. She remembered keenly the conversation that she and Neo had. She looked at Cerri as the girl sat down with her own plate. She gave the big woman a smile and proceeded to eat. The pair sat in companionable silence.

Quan was the first to finish her food. She rose and took her plate to the sink, rinsing it off before placing it in the dishwasher. “That really hit the spot, Cerri. Thank you.”

The girl smiled and nodded. “I'm glad you liked it,” she said back, happy. “What are you going to do now?”

“I desperately need a shower,” Quan said, stretching. “I smell terrible.”

“I'd offer to wash your back but I don't think I could reach it,” Cerri offered with a giggle.

“That and I don't think there's room for both of us in the shower.” Quan countered. She went in and let the water pound down on her. She'd fought hard tonight and let the warmth loosen her muscles up. She scrubbed down and shut everything off, drying herself off before stepping out of the shower. She pulled on the pair of sweat pants and the tank top that she'd brought in with her. She left the bathroom, tossing the towel in the hamper as she went into her bedroom.

She stopped when she saw Cerridwen sitting on her bed, clad in a nightgown. “Crap,” Quan said quietly to herself. This was the very situation she was dreading. “Cerri…” She began, not quite sure what to say.

The girl got up and slowly walked toward her. “I know what you're thinking, Anna,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “She's too young. She's just a little girl.” She stepped up and wrapped her arms around Quan's waist. “I can't really fault you for thinking that way. Because out here, all of this…” Cerri took a step back and motioned to her body. “Is just that. I  _am_  too young. I  _am_  just a little girl. That's what you see, that's what the world sees.” She took Quan's giant hand and rested it on her chest, just above her heart. “But that isn't what's in here.”

“I can't be what you want me to be, Cerri,” Quan said, sadly. “I can't-,”

“That's what everyone says,” Cerridwen offered, her tone angry. “Because I'm only twelve, I can't know what I want. I can't have what I want.” She closed her eyes and took handfuls of Quan's tank top in her little fists. “Well fuck them.” She began crying. “I'm getting what I want, dammit. My dad was taken away from me before I even knew who he was. My mom was taken away from me, too.” She looked up into Quan's eyes. “Please don't take this away from me, Anna.” She lightly pounded on the girl's hard stomach. “Please. I love you.”

Quan stared down at the girl. “Cerri-,” She held her tightly against her. Her heart warred with her mind. Despite the difference in age, she couldn't help but feel for her. She wanted desperately to be what Cerri wanted, what Cerri  _needed_  her to be. “I could get in a lot of trouble, Cerridwen.” She pushed her to arm's length. “It’s prison if anyone finds out.”

“I know, Anna, I do,” Cerri said, softly. “But I can't help it. You've been here for me. When I cry in the night, you're the one that rushes into my room to hold me. When I'm scared, you're the one that pulls me close and tells me it's going to be alright. You've been my hero, Anna. I know Neo won't let anything happen to me but you, Anna.  _You've_ been the one to care.” She reached up and wiped her tears away. “But if you can…” She swallowed. “If you can look me in the eye and tell me that you don't love me, that you don't feel the same way I do, I'll leave you alone.” She sniffed. “I promise I won't bother you anymore.”

Quan looked at her. Neo had said it, plain as day. She knew that eventually, she would have to do it. She knew she'd have to break Cerri's heart. If society had its way, Quan would have to dash the girl's hopes of having what her heart desired.

“Cerri…” She watched tears flood the girl's eyes. “I can't…” She shook her head. “I can't tell you that.” She admitted. “I want to. I desperately want to but I can't.” She fell to her knees and looked into the tiny girl's eyes. “What we do is wrong. It's wrong in so many ways. But then our lives are wrong. Our world is wrong. Everything about us is wrong.”

“I know, Anna,” Cerri said. “But this…” She pressed her hand to the larger girl's chest and touched Quan's to hers. “This isn't wrong. Love is never wrong. Not when it's shared.” She cocked her head askance. “Is it? Is it shared?”

Quan pulled Cerri in and kissed her softly at first, then with growing intensity. After several seconds of a shared embrace, she pulled back and smiled at the girl. “Yes,” she said, nodding. “I love you, Cerri.”

She'd never seen the girl smile so brightly.

 

“That was the first night we made love,” Quan said, looking down at the sleeping girl. “And I have to admit, I've had lovers before. But little Cerri here was probably the best I've ever been with. She told me that she did research online to make sure she was good at it.”

Rain smiled and turned to the sunrise. “It's nice to know that you guys are happy. I don't really think it's anyone's business how old you both are. Happiness is too hard to find in this life.”

“What the fuck are you doin' up there?” Neo asked as she looked up at Rain. “Tal and I woke up and there was a huge gaping hole in our bed where our girlfriend sleeps.”

Rain chuckled and rose to her feet. “Duty calls,” she said, moving to the ladder.

“Later,” Quan said, waving to the girl. The potentials went into the trailer and left her and Cerridwen alone. The big woman looked down at her again and let out a sigh. “I love you, Cerri,” she said, pushing a lock of hair from her eyes. “I'll never let anything happen to you again. I promise.”

The petite girl snuggled in a little closer and opened her eyes, looking into those of her lover. “Sorry,” she said, yawning. “I didn't mean to fall asleep on you.”

“That's okay, baby,” Quan said. “You were tired. It's been a long night for you.”

Cerri moved and straddled Quan's broad lap. She leaned down and rested her forehead against that of her love. “I wish this didn't bother you so much,” she said, motioning to her body. “I wish I were older, so you would be more comfortable with me.” She began tearing up. “I wish-,”

“Shh,” Quan said, putting a finger to Cerri's lips. “You are what you are.” She pulled the girl down and kissed her passionately. “I love you for _you_ , Cerridwen. Youth and all.”

“But I know it still bothers you,” Cerri said. She couldn't help but start crying. “It'll always bother you.” She shook her head. “They still wanna take me away from you.”

“You know I wouldn't let them. But can you imagine what Neo would do if they tried?” Quan asked her.

“Neo, more so than anyone else, is the reason they want to,” Cerri said. “I don't blame her, it's just…”

“She's dangerous,” Quan said. “You've known that for two years.”

“I know,” Cerri returned. “But I just get tired of the threat.”

“Stop.” Quan kissed her lightly. “Stop worrying about it. It's a moot point. You're not going anywhere. Simple as that. No one on the website is going to let you get taken away. Everyone would come to your defense. Not just us but Kat, Alexia, and Faith. Not to mention Steele, Max, and Shelby. Hell, even Xander would go to bat for you. In light of all of that, there isn't a person on the planet that would let it happen.”

Cerri sighed and nodded. “You're right.”

Quan slid her hand down Cerri's stomach. “You need to relax, baby.”

Cerri bit her lip and buried her face into Quan's shoulder. She wouldn't be relaxing at all. And as the larger woman went to work, she found that she was perfectly fine with that.


	36. Chapter 36

 

“Jesus Christ, Neo,” Quan said, shaking her head. “You look like shit.”

“Gee, thanks,” the potential said as she, Talia, and Rain made their way into the trailer.

“How'd you do?” Cerri asked. She had actually watched the fight on the website but she wanted to hear Neo say it.

“She did very well,” Talia said, proudly.

“I lost,” Neo offered, looking at her Watcher.

“I didn't say you won.” Talia grinned at her. “I just said you did well.”

“Yeah. I really punished Kat's fists with my face,” Neo said. “Shouldn't be surprised, though.”

“Did she have to use magic to win?” Cerri asked her.

Neo shook her head. “Nope. We threw down clean. She's just a better fighter. Not by much, mind you but she is better.” She smiled. “But by the time we get back to Portland, they're gonna be comin' out of the woodwork to try us on.” She shuddered. “God, I can't wait.”

“She scares me,” Rain said, leaning closer to Talia.

“You get used to it,” the elder woman offered.

“Well, we're not homeward bound just yet,” Cerri said from her position on her laptop. “We're needed in the mountains. Rite contacted us. Apparently, there's something bizarre going on in Shaver Lake.”

Neo frowned. “Where in the hell is that?”

“About a hundred and seventy miles,” Cerri said. “It's up in the foothills.” She brought the image of Google Maps up on the flatscreen. “It's pretty isolated.”

“Christ,” Neo said, moving closer. “Population you'uns.”

“Six hundred and thirty four as of four years ago.” The girl said, shaking her head. “Not a whole lot going on, to be honest.”

“So what do they need help with?” Talia asked.

“Our client contact is a woman named Amber Wallace. She runs a cabin rental business up there. She said that a lot of her guests are going missing when they go hiking,” Cerri said. “It's up to fifteen in the past three months.”

“Hikers get lost all the time,” Sadiira offered. “What makes this so different?”

“Really?” Cerri said, looking at the girl. “You don't find an average of five people missing a month to be a bit extreme?”

“Not in thick mountain lion and grizzly territory,” the twin returned.

“And if one of the men that went missing wasn't this guy,” Cerri brought up a photo of a man in his late forties. “I might be inclined to agree with you.”

“Who is he?” Rain asked. “He looks familiar.”

“He should,” Cerri said. “He's something of a local celebrity. His name is Thomas Running-Eagle.”

“I've heard of him,” Rain said. “He's descended from the Chumash Indians that used to inhabit this area. He's who the State Patrol call in when they need someone tracked down in the mountains.”

Neo immediately saw what the pair was getting at. “So if this guy went missing, then it's bizarre as shit.”

“That's my guess,” Cerri said. “He knows every inch of the mountains. If  _he's_  lost out there, there's gotta be a reason.”

Neo shrugged. “Looks like we got a ballgame.” She looked at the girls. “Pack up. Looks like we're heading to the tall and uncut. Cerri? Plan us a route.”

“On it,” the girl said, tapping away at her tablet.

 

A half hour later, the group was on the road. Neo rested her arm on the door and kept her other arm on the wheel. The huge beast of a truck, barely even aware of the fifth wheel trailer it was hauling roared along Highway 41, easily keeping pace with the lighter Raptor in front of it. Talia sat in the passenger seat, relaxing into the soft leather. Rain sat in the backseat, her head leaning against the window and her arms crossed. She watched the beautiful landscape roll by.

Talia looked over at her charge. Even a week after her fight with Kat, she looked in a bad way. Tara, Kat, and Rio had done everything in their power to heal the girl but she still showed the signs of being in one hell of a fight. The scar that ran back along the right side of her face from her eye disappearing into her hairline had faded somewhat but Talia knew it would always be there. “Are you sure you're ready for this?” The woman asked her.

“Why?” Neo asked in return.

“Because from what everyone has said, that's the worst beating any of them had ever seen you take,” Talia said.

“I think you forget who you're talking to.” Rain offered from the backseat. “This is Neo we're talking about. A thrashing like that more likely as not just pissed her off.”

Neo chuckled. “Not really,” she said, shaking her head. “It was actually pretty fuckin' humbling.” She looked at Talia. “And you're right. It was the worst I've dealt with.” She turned back to the road. “Kat's a badass.”

“You definitely gave as good as you got,” Talia said. “You should feel proud.”

Neo shrugged. “Not really proud. Not disappointed with myself. Not really anything.”

“So you're not itching for a rematch?” Rain asked her.

“I'd rather fuck a cactus,” Neo said, shaking her head. “There's no point. We throw down and ninety-nine out of a hundred times, she'll kick my ass.”

“What makes you say that?” Talia asked her.

“Because I can appreciate someone when they're just better,” Neo said. She pointed to the truck in front of them. “Quan's better than me. She'd gorilla stomp me three ways from Sunday, skin art or no. I've told her as much. She says without the tat magic, I’m like, way stronger than her.”

“I've always wondered about that,” Talia said. “It seems that everything is afraid of you but with Quan Tou…”

“She and Kat have the same mentality. They don't enjoy the fight. They just fight it. They're in it to win it. That makes them better, more focused. They can put something down and move on. But where they wanna finish it and go home, I'm out there to make a statement. I don't like shit prowling my city. So I brutalize motherfuckers and make sure they understand how badly they fucked up.” She laughed. “There was this one time about a year ago, I ripped vampire's jaw off and tore his canines out. I then threw him through the window of this Demon bar downtown.” She turned to Talia. “They closed down two days later.”

“Jesus Christ,” Rain said. “That's dark.”

Neo sighed. “Yeah. Good times. But that's the price they pay for existing in my world,” Neo said. “They could subsist on animal blood and shit like that but they don't. They wanna drink human blood and _kill_ while they do it.” She shook her head. “Not in my fuckin' town they don't.”

“Do you think with training and practice…?” Talia began.

“Do I think I could take Kat?” Neo asked her. “Is that what you were gonna ask me?” As Talia nodded, Neo just chuckled. “No. I'm not selling myself short or anything. And yeah, I could really use some polishing. Like I said, always room for improvement. But I also know I just don't have the patience. It's actually one of my biggest problems. I lost to Kat for two reasons; she was better trained and I got impatient. I wanted to end it early. I wanted to prove something to myself.” She sighed. “And I did. Just not what I was intending.”

“You've learned quite a bit of humility,” Talia said, smiling at her.

“Well, it definitely told everyone who saw it that you don't have a glass jaw,” Rain said. “She may have won but you didn't make the victory cheap.”

“She's the real deal,” Neo said. “I never wanna see her across from me again. So done with that fuckin' shit. I'd rather have to face Steele when she's pissed than Kat.”

“That's just insane,” Talia said.

“I know Steele would kill me quick. She wouldn't drag it out,” Neo said. “But as far as Kat goes, I'd rather be fighting beside her than against her.” She sniffed and wiped tears from her eyes. “It's always been hard for me to make friends. The girls…” She looked at Talia and Rain. “You two and the ladies from Point Defiance.” She smiled and swallowed past the lump in her throat. She looked back at Rain. “I've got more friends now than I ever thought I'd have.”

Talia reached over and put a hand on her arm. Rain set hers on the potential's shoulder. “It's nice, isn't it?” the elder woman asked.

“It really is,” Neo said. She looked at her gauges and sighed. “Christ on a crutch. The mileage in this thing is  _balls_.” She reached up and tapped the call button. “Hey, Quan. We gotta stop for gas.”

“Probably should have tanked up in Paso Robles,” the large woman returned. “There's a Chevron just up here.”

“That works. On your six,” Neo said, ending the call.

“What does this monster get, just out of curiosity?” Talia asked her.

“Sixteen,” Rain said. “Probably less with the trailer.”

“Good lord,” Talia said, shaking her head. “That's terrible.”

Ten minutes later, the girls pulled off the highway and up to a Flying J truck stop. “I say we get gas and grab something to eat,” Neo said. “I'm hungry as shit now that I think about it.”

“I could eat,” Talia said, nodding. “How's the fare?”

Rain climbed out with the pair. “It's actually pretty good, to be honest. It's uniform no matter which one you go to, I've noticed.”

The trio met up with the other four girls. “Cerri. Why don't you go and grab us a couple of tables? Quan and I'll gas up the rigs and meet up with you.”

“You got it, Hoss,” the girl said, nodding. “Alright, ladies. And we're moving.” She snapped her fingers and pointed to the restaurant.

Quan and Neo watched as the petite drummer walked across the parking lot surrounded by her four friends. “She loves that she can do that,” Quan offered.

Neo chuckled and turned to the pumps. “She's a diva, alright.” She opened the filler flap and unscrewed the gas cap. She then pulled the nozzle free and leaned against the side of the rig, letting the fuel fill the tank. She looked across from her to see a pearl white Toyota Prius pull up. She snorted and shook her head. “What a piece of shit.”

A rather attractive brunette woman stepped out of the car and moved up to the pump. She looked at Neo, receiving a smile and a bob of the eyebrows. She glared and ran her eyes over the tremendous Ford that the potential was leaning against. “Tch,” she said as she shook her head before taking the nozzle and likewise began gassing up her own automobile.

Neo ignored her and turned her attention back to the pump. The counter had already reached forty dollars. “Jesus Christ,” she said, shaking her head. “Thirsty motherfucker.”

“You know, that wouldn't happen if you didn't drive something so big,” the woman beside her blurted out.

Neo looked at her and nodded. “Can't argue with that.”

“You should really think about getting a hybrid.”

Neo shook her head. “This beast rolls eight hundred foot-pounds of torque. There really isn't a hybrid on the market that gets those kinds of numbers.”

“You really don't need that kind of torque to move a trailer that size,” she offered back.

“Probably not. But I like this rig. It's expensive but it's got the power I need and the muscle I'm looking for.” Neo slapped the side of the rig. “I could pull a battleship with this thing.”

“But why would you need to?”

“Probably won't,” Neo admitted. “But it's just nice knowing I _could_.”

“It's just a waste,” she said. “You're like my ex-husband. He bought a huge truck that spent more time in a fast food drive through than off-road. You people make me sick.”

Neo hated preachy people like her. “He left you because you bought that heap of shit, didn't he?” She knew it was rude but at the moment, she didn't give a shit. The woman was pissing her off.

“This isn't a heap. It's the best car I've ever owned,” the woman said, snottily.

She snorted. “That has got to be the most pathetic thing I've ever heard,” Neo said, shaking her head. “I mean how  _shitty_  does your life have to be for _that_  hunk a crap to be a fucking  _highlight_? Jesus tapdancing Christ, lady. I feel so sorry for you.” The woman just glared at her. “I'm serious. A statement like that? Children's cancer patients should be sending _you_ sympathy cards. Yeah, they’ve got cancer and are living on borrowed time but _you_ gotta drive that piece of shit.”

“I feel sorry for  _you_.” She shot back, angrily. “I'm not the one blowing over a hundred dollars on gas.”

“Fair point. No, you're not. But you  _are_  driving a Prius. Of the two of us, you deserve a hell of a lot more pity than I do.”

“Well, you know what they say about people who drive big trucks.” She sneered. “They're compensating.”

“Well, no shit, lady,” Neo said, grabbing her crotch. “It's not like I have a dick.”

“People like you are destroying the planet,” she snapped.

Neo narrowed her eyes. “Seriously? Destroying the planet?” She slowly shook her head. “Woman, you don't know the first thing about me. And believe me, you don't wanna know.”

“I know you drive a monstrosity that's completely pointless,” she said, angrily. “You even admitted it yourself.”

Neo finished pumping and hung the nozzle up. “Let me paint you a picture, bitch,” she said, replacing the filler cap. She slapped the port closed and moved over to the woman, staring down at her. “What I do? The shit I deal with? If you knew the half of it, you'd be in a padded room screaming yourself into a migraine for the rest of your life.” She got into the smaller woman's face. “You should be on your fuckin'  _knees_  thanking me for the shit I do.” She shook her head. “But I don't expect you to, because that ain't why I do it. The fact remains, though. So I strongly suggest you shut your fuckin' mouth. Because you ain't got the first damn clue what you're talking about.”

The woman was about to respond when Quan stepped up and put her hands on Neo's shoulder. “Alright, she gets it, Neo. Back off.” The big woman said, easing Neo away from her.

“Fucking  _bitch,_ ” The woman jibed.

“Stop,” Quan said, looking at her. “Just stop, okay? You said your piece. You don't like the rig she drives. That's fine. She can say the same thing about yours. Now get in your car and leave.”

“I don't have to-,”

“Lady?” Quan snapped. “Quit while you can still walk, alright? You keep pissing her off and I'm not sure I'm gonna be able to keep her from turning you into a stain on the concrete. Get in your fuckin' car and move.”

“Why should I leave when she's the one being a bitch?”

“That's it,” Neo said, shoving Quan out of the way.

The larger girl staggered to the side. “Dammit!” She cursed as she nearly fell to the ground. She turned just in time to see Neo grab the woman's lapel and lift her from the asphalt. She turned and slammed the woman back against the side of her car. Quan had to give her credit. She drew back and cracked the younger potential across the jaw with everything she had. Granted, everything she had didn't amount to much against someone that routinely took shots capable of shattering brick.

Neo pulled the woman forward and drove her back against the car again, knocking the wind out of her. “Listen to me, bitch.” She glared into her eyes. “I destroy demons for a living. Monsters that you and your friends don't wanna believe is real. You wanna stand there and preach to me about destroying the planet with the car I choose to drive, you go right ahead. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know. My existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives. That’s the cold hard truth. But you don't wanna believe that, because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me out there in the night, you _need_ me out there in the night. We use words like vampire, demon, and phantom. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent in a war against shit you can't even imagine. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a woman who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very protection that I provide and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said thank you and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon and jump in the trenches. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think!” She then slammed the woman back against her car. “Have a nice  _fucking_  day.” With that, she turned and made her way into the restaurant.

“A Few Good Men?” Quan said, looking at the girl. “Really?”

“It was short notice, what?” Neo said.

“Just seems like something that Alexia would say,” Quan offered.

“Nah. Alexia would have spat something way more obscure. Probably some fuckin' song lyric from some Norse Metal band from the eighties or some shit.”

“Semper Fi, motherfucker,” Quan responded. “'Nuff said.”

“True,” Neo said, chuckling. “That's never gonna stop being funny.”

“Surprised you didn't deck her.”

“Wanted to. Should have. Didn't.” Neo shook her head. “I'm getting soft.”

They made it inside and paid. After moving their rigs over to the parking lot, freeing up the fuel pumps, they made their way into the diner and found their friends sitting with two tables pushed together. “I took the liberty of ordering for you,” Talia said to Neo. “Double bacon cheeseburger with chili cheese fries and a coke.”

Neo shot in and kissed her passionately. “That'll get it done. Thanks, baby.” She then gripped Rain's hair and pulled her in, plundering her lips. “Didn't want my little runner girl feeling left out.”

The girl blushed as she sipped her drink. “So what was that all about?” she asked pointing to the gas pump.

“Some bitch getting preachy about the F-450,” Neo said. “You should drive a hybrid,” she added in a whiney nasally voice. “Unbelievable.”

“In her defense, there are some pretty nice hybrids on the market,” Cerri said.

“Quan? Ditch your Raptor and get a hybrid,” Neo said, looking at the big woman.

“Yeah, fuck you.” She shot back.

“Thought so,” Neo said, looking at Cerri. “Not gonna happen. I'm not denying that some of them are nice. And yeah, there are plenty with some power but hybrid technology has a long way to go before it can keep up with a gas or diesel rig. Don't get me wrong, picking something up for just futz-ing around Portland, isn't necessarily a bad idea and you know what? A Prius might actually be a legit choice but out on the freeway like this?” She shook her head. “I can't see it. They're uncomfortable as hell and…”

“Okay, we're ignoring a pretty big elephant in the room,” Quan said, pointing to Neo. “You quoted fuckin' A Few Good Men at the woman.”

“I've heard you make quips that would put Dennis Leary on his heels and you relegated to Jack Nicholson?” Cerridwen asked.

“In her defense, it is a good monologue,” Sadiira said.

“I added my own stuff,” Neo said, now somewhat embarrassed. “It wasn't word for word.”

“That just makes it worse,” Talia said, joining in on the ribbing.

“I know where you sleep, British,” Neo said, narrowing her eyes.

“Like what the three of us do in bed together even remotely approaches the realm of  _sleep_.” Rain piped in.

“Fuck you both; right up the ass,” Neo said, blushing.

“Aw, are we embarrassing you?” Talia asked, reaching over and pinching her cheek.

“I will destroy you,” Neo said, gripping Talia's hand. “Wicked, painful, and slow you understand me?”

Talia wrapped her arm about Rain's shoulders and pulled the girl in. “Well, wicked and slow at any rate.”

“Getting fucking diabetes over here,” Sadiira said, shaking her head. “Hurry up and eat so we can get back on the road.”

Neo kissed the back of Talia's hand and let her go to eat her lunch. The girls talked and laughed as they finished their food.

An hour later, after leaving a sizable tip, they were off once again.


	37. Chapter 37

Neo drummed along with _Rockin’ In the Free World_ by Neil Young as she followed the blue Ford into the small California town. “You know…” She said, looking around. “It’s pretty beautiful up here.”

Rain from her spot in the passenger seat nodded her agreement. “Like a postcard.”

“You ever been up here?” Neo asked her.

Rain nodded. “I spent a weekend when my grandfather lived up here. It’s been like, ten years, though. I don’t remember much.”

“Hm,” Neo offered noncommittally. “Hope it isn’t like, ‘we don’t like your kind around here’,” she said with a deep southern twang.

Talia snickered from the rear seat. “It’s California Alice, not Arkansas.”

Neo looked at her in the rearview. “Um…are you forgetting the shit that went down in Nehalem?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

Talia, for reasons that completely escaped her, was suddenly angered. “Oh, you mean that town that you told me, let me see if memory serves…oh yes. ‘Get your British ass out of my fucking truck’.”

Neo sighed and shook her head. “You just had to bring up that shit, didn’t you?”

Talia bit her lip and took a steadying breath. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I shouldn’t have…”

“No,” Rain said, looking at the pair. “You two need to remember that. And you need to talk about it on occasion. You can’t just pretend it didn’t happen. It was a fight. You can’t just ignore them. It was the first but I can pretty much guarantee you it won’t be the last.”

“Kid’s got a point.” Neo turned to look at Talia. “I love you, Tal.” She looked back at the road. “Wanted you to know that. Wanted you to hear me say it.”

Talia smiled and reached out, touching the teen’s shoulder. “I love you, too Alice.”

“Don’t feel left out, Rain,” Neo said casting her eyes to the girl. “You’re starting to grow on me, too.”

Rain was smiling widely. “I know,” she said, putting a hand on Neo’s strong arm. “I knew back in Victorville.”

“You know what the funny thing is?” Talia asked, leaning back. “When we had that argument, Alice here said something rather telling.” Rain looked at her. “I don't care about being alone in the dark with anyone but you.”

Rain snapped her eyes to Neo. “Did you tell her that?”

Neo suddenly felt very guilty for the situation they were in. “Look I…” She wasn’t sure how to explain herself.

“I get it,” Talia said, giggling. She looked to Rain. “Alice here, as you no doubt have noticed is very much old school. I firmly believe that she had the rotten luck of being born in the wrong century.”

Rain grinned. “You could see her on some ancient battlefield swinging an ax into someone’s face?”

“What are you two talkin’ about?” Neo asked, chuckling. “I do that _now_.”

“You’ve actually smacked a monster in the face with an ax?” Rain asked her.

“Well, not an ax but I have split someone’s skull with a machete.” She shrugged. “Same difference.”

“ _My point_ ,” Talia continued. “Is that you have seen how Alice gets when she gets finished with a particularly rough fight.”

Rain gave a whimsical smile and looked at the powerful potential. “Yes. Yes, I have.”

Neo actually blushed.

“It is my belief that when the pair of you were in Victorville, ass deep in alligators as it were, the pair of you sort of clicked.”

Rain laughed out loud. “Clicked?” She shook her head and buried her face in her hands. “That’s one way to put it. If you wanted to be like, _ridiculously_ innocent about it.”

“Christ, you make it sound like I raped you,” Neo said.

Rain turned back to Talia. “We were in a dirty ass abandoned basement surrounded by vampires and Xena here stuffed her hand down my cargos and fingerbanged me into oblivion.”

Talia shared in the mirth. “Yes, that sounds very much like Alice’s MO.” She puffed out her chest. “I’ve just killed a fuck-ton of vampires. Now I’m gonna go and fuck my girlfriends. Bend over bitch,” she said, in a horrible impression of Neo.

Neo just growled and shook her head at the pair’s antics.

“Then I’ll go and learn the riddle of steel.” Rain flexed her arms. “Arrrrggg!”

“Fuck you both,” Neo said, chuckling. “Bitches.” She paused a moment. “Besides, I already know the riddle of steel.”

“You _would_ ,” Talia responded.

“So do I,” Rain added.

“Yeah, so hah!” Neo said, smiling.

They were still laughing when the Raptor pulled to a stop in front of Knotty Pines Cabins. Neo rolled up behind them. “Let’s do this,” she said, climbing out of the rig. “This the place, Cerri?” She asked the youngest of their number.

The girl nodded. “Yep.”

She stood behind the front counter, looking over a magazine when the bell over the office door jingled. “Welcome to Knotty Pines Cabin rentals, how can I-?”

“You Amber?” a sharp female voice asked her.

“Yes I,” She looked up and stopped as she saw the group of ladies enter the room. She was an _avid_ follower of S Three dot com and knew five of the seven women by name. “Oh my God.”

Neo stepped forward and rested her arm on the counter. “We’re Demon Queller. Word is you got a problem.” She motioned to the girls. “We’re here to butt our noses in.”

“I…” She looked at each and every one of them. “I didn’t think you’d come.”

“It’s what we do, babe,” Neo said. “First things first. We need the biggest cabin you got.”

“Absolutely,” she said, smiling. “It’s on the house,” she said, offering a set of keys. “Thank you so much for coming.”

“Give us a couple of hours to get situated, then come by the cabin say,” Cerri looked at her watch. “At about eight thirty. Bring us everything you know and we’ll see about getting to work.”

Amber nodded, happily. “Okay. Thanks again.”

The girls left the office and pulled their rigs up to the house. They unlocked the door and made their way inside. “Huh,” Neo said, looking around. “This isn’t bad.”

“It is rather cozy,” Talia offered.

“So you, Neo, and I can share this bed…” Rain said, looking into one of the bedrooms. “Cerri and Quan in that one and you two…”

“How come you Neo and Talia get the bedroom with the half bath?” Cerri asked, pouting.

“Because I’m oldest,” Talia said, matter-of-fact. “And there’s three of us.”

“Oh sure. Use logic,” Cerri said, moving in to drop her bag on the bed. She took her laptop case out and began setting it up on the kitchen table.

“I’m grabbing a shower,” Neo said, gathering a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. “I smell like a billy goat.”

“I highly doubt that but whatever.” Talia set her bag down and flopped back on the bed. “Oh, that’s nice.”

Rain put her bag down and fell beside the woman. “Oh, that is comfortable.” She lay her head on Talia’s arm and threw her arm and leg over her. “Mmm. Comfy.”

Talia turned to regard the girl. For several seconds, they didn’t say a word. Rain got to her feet and moved over, pushing the door closed. Then took two steps and jumped, landing with her knees on opposite sides of Talia’s lap. She put her hands down on the bed on either side of the Watcher’s head. She stared down into the woman’s bright eyes. Slowly, she leaned down and pressed her lips to those of her mentor. As they kissed, Rain began opening the buttons of Talia’s shirt.

“Do we have time for-?”

She was cut off as Rain again captured her lips with her own. “We make the time,” she said, softly.

Talia closed her eyes and moaned at the sensual contact.

Neo quickly finished her shower and exited the bathroom, carrying her clothing with her. She opened the door of the bedroom and stopped cold when she saw her lovers going at each other. She smiled and dropped her soiled clothes, quietly closing the door behind her.

She sighed and moved over to where Cerri had her gear set up. “Where’s Quan and the twins?”

“They went to the grocery store to stock us up,” Cerri offered, still connecting all of her hardware. “What about Talia and Rain?”

“Eh, they’re fuckin’. I didn’t wanna bother ‘em.”

“I figured you’d wanna get in on that action.”

Neo shrugged. “Not exactly raging at the moment. Just quiet contentment. I’m about to see some action. That’s sustaining me for the time being. So what are we looking at?” Neo asked her.

“Right now, it’s just a satellite image of Shaver Lake and the surrounding area.” The girl hit a few buttons. “This is where the people were last seen.” She showed the map to Neo. “Not seeing a real pattern to it.”

Neo stared at it, cocking her head this way and that. “It’s predatory.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Here,” she said, pointing to a cluster. “Then a few stragglers here and another group here. It’s less a pattern and just more a, a hunting ground.”

Cerri was a very, _very_ intelligent girl. But she really didn’t see what Neo saw. One thing she did know for sure, however. If Neo saw a pattern, then there was one, whether _she_ could identify it or not. That was one of the key reasons why Neo was, in fact, the leader of Demon Queller. “Explain,” she said, curiously.

“The first four missing people,” she said, pointing to the first group. “Then you have six missing in a loose arc, here.” She motioned with her hand. “Then another cluster right here. It’s typical predator behavior. These four went missing in the span of eleven days. Then you have these six, completely independent of each other at least five to six days apart. Then it’s almost three full weeks before _bam_ , you have a blitz of five people in fifteen days.”

Cerri was still at a loss. “I understand those words as English but…”

“Three things,” Neo began ticking off her fingers. “One, the chances are good that we’re dealing with a beast that devours people that isn’t a _natural_ predator.”

“How can you _possibly_ know that?” Cerri had to know.

“Because, despite what people may wanna believe, things like mountain lions and bears, unless actually _threatened_ will run like hell when they see a human. Unless they’re starving, and I mean _ravenous_ , they won’t attack a human. And even if they do they don’t ‘develop a taste for it’,” She made quotation marks in the air. “That is just so much bullshit. I could believe one, _maybe_ two of these people genuinely getting mauled and eaten by a mountain lion or a pack of wolves but not fifteen over the course of three months. That indicates killing for sport and a few aberrations aside, wild animals don’t do that.”

Cerri stared at Neo for several seconds. “Is it sad that the thing I most latched onto was that fact that you actually used _aberration_ correctly in a sentence?”

“Fuck you, squirt,” Neo said, playfully swatting the girl in the back of the head.

“You said three things.”

“Two, the fact that they’ve more likely as not had cadaver dogs out here and haven’t found hide nor hair of a body. There would be something. But they haven’t found jack shit. And three, it’s something highly, _highly_ intelligent.”

“How do you…?”

“No bodies, no hiking gear, no clothing. Nothing. Whatever or _whoever_ is doing this is policing the woods after they kill. They don’t wanna be found and they’re going to great lengths to make sure they aren’t. Law of large numbers says that this shit has been explored up down and backward. And that Running-Eagle guy. He’s a professional tracker. He knows these woods. If he went missing, then the chances are good, he wasn’t prepared for what he found. Which _means_ whatever he found wasn’t something that occurs naturally.” She crossed her arms and stared at the screen. “I’d bet my ass we’re looking for a Wendigo.” She pursed her lips. “And the time frame fits.”

Cerri quickly typed in the information. She read a bit and nodded. “Yeah, you’re right.” She turned to the girl. “I’m impressed.”

“I’ve been doing this for almost seven years. You learn some shit in that time.” She moved over onto the sofa and put her feet up. She lifted the remote and began flipping channels. “We could probably narrow down who it is if we look hard enough.”

“How?” Cerri asked her. She was used to Neo just being angry and…well, that was pretty much it. But this display of knowledge, while she knew the girl capable of it, was just few and far between.

“This far down the mountain, chances are good that the snow doesn’t get that bad, that early. So you wanna look for anyone that went missing about four or five months ago further up the hills. Probably at the seven or eight thousand foot mark. Look for anyone that might have been out with a group.” Neo was still staring at the television.

Cerri shrugged and turned back to her computer. She spent several minutes digging through the online news archives. “I think I’ve got something. Malcolm Davidson, Chloe Roberts and Sam McKenzie all disappeared four and a half months ago while hiking up on Bear Mountain. Apparently, there was a really bad late autumn snowstorm. The difficult terrain and the fact that they didn’t tell anyone where they were hiking made a rescue all but impossible.”

“Bingo,” Neo said, getting up and moving over to her. “I’m betting one of the three of them is our Wendigo.”

“It amazes me that you know this,” Cerri said, genuinely impressed.

“What can I say? I’m more than just a pretty face.”

“Violent, borderline psychotic, rage issues…”

“Keep yappin’ ankle-biter.”

Cerri giggled and went back to work.

 

After everyone had gathered and eaten, Amber told them all what she knew. True to what Neo had deduced, the police had been up to the area several times for a manhunt and not a single shred of evidence had been found. The most recent loss of Thomas Running-Eagle was the most damning. As Neo had pointed out, he was widely regarded as the best natural tracker on the west coast. He’d been over every square inch of the mountains and knew every nook, cranny, and tree in the area. That he would just _go missing_ was a mystery that few would be able to solve.

“But the question remains,” Amber began. “If _he_ couldn’t find what’s been doing this, how will you all manage it?” She wasn’t doubting their skills of dispatching the supernatural but they didn’t exactly seem the type to be able to hunt things in the forested hills.

“We know what to look for,” Neo said, smiling. “And we have our own bloodhounds.” She pointed to the twins. “City, forest, desert. Doesn’t matter. If it’s out there, these two can find it. A couple of apex predators right here.” The two just gave her a nod.

Amber looked into their eyes and quickly became uncomfortable. “Well, good luck,” she said, turning to leave. “Stay as long as you need to.”

“Thanks,” Neo said. She waited for the woman to leave. “Okay. Here’s how we break it up. Me, Rain, and Sadiira. Quan and Nadiira. Talia, you stay here with Cerri. Real-time and cams. If you lose contact with Cerri, you about face and come home. You get in trouble and need help, flare gun.” Everyone nodded.

Talia pulled in Rain and Neo. “Be careful, please.” She kissed each of them. “And come back to me.”

“We will,” Neo said, heartfelt. “Keep the kid safe, yeah?”

“Over my dead body,” Talia said, her tone iron hard. She turned to Rain. “Bring her home.”

“I will,” Rain said, resting her forehead against Talia’s. “That’s a promise.”

Quan kissed Cerri deeply, lifting her from the floor. “You keep an eye on us, okay?”

“Of course I will,” the girl returned. “I’m too in love with you for it to be otherwise.” She hugged her tight. “Be careful.”

“Alright. Let’s do this, ladies,” Neo said, tightening the straps on her armor.

Talia and Cerri watched as the group left, armed to the teeth. “They’ll be alright,” Talia offered, laying her hand on Cerri’s shoulder.

“A warning to the people, the good and the evil, this is war. To the soldier, the civilian, the martyr, the victim, this is war.” The young drummer turned back to her computer and began linking everyone’s cameras and radios.

Talia didn’t miss the glisten of tears in Cerri’s eyes. She’d watched hundreds of times as those she considered her family marched off to battle. But that didn’t make seeing it any easier on the girl. She knew because she felt the same way. She sat down at a chair with her crossbow near her and settled in for a long night.


	38. Chapter 38

Sadiira took point, keeping a firm grip on her AA-12. Her eyes moved back and forth, taking in every shadow, every leaf, every bit of movement. The full moon shining through the trees made it rather easy to see, to be quite honest.

“Have you ever dealt with a Wendigo before?” Rain asked, clutching her bow tightly.

“Nope,” Neo said, shaking her head. “But I know enough about ‘em to deal with ‘em.” She shrugged. “They’re not all that nasty, truth be told.”

“Tell her the truth, Neo,” Sadiira said to her.

“What? They’re not,” Neo said. “They’re just as easy to take out as vampires.”

“No, they’re not,” Sadiira said.

“You can’t kill a vampire by breaking its neck. That just slows ‘em down,” Neo said to the gunstress.

“And you can’t stake a Wendigo.” Sadiira returned. She looked at Rain. “Wendigos have an incredible regeneration factor. Think…Deadpool from Marvel Comics.”

“I like Deadpool,” Rain said, grinning. “He’s really funny.”

“Now imagine having to try and kill him,” Sadiira said. “And without the sense of humor and the fourth-wall breaking.”

“That would kind of suck,” Rain said.

“Don’t give the kid those kinds of ideas,” Neo said. “First off, Wendigos are a lot more rare. Second, they’re not generally as strong as vampires. They’re tougher a bit but that’s just the healing factor. You can take their heads or break their necks and they drop. That’s what makes them easier to take out than vamps. Vampires rarely come at you one at a time. Wendigos _only_ come at you one at a time.”

 _“Movement!”_ Everyone heard Quan’s voice over the communications system. _“It’s our boy.”_

Neo reached up and tapped her earpiece. “Flare,” she said.

A moment later, a bright red burst erupted into the air about a half mile from their current position. She immediately bolted toward it. “We’re just to the Northwest of you. Flush him toward us.”

The sounds of a struggle could be heard over the comm. _“He isn’t running.”_ Nadiira’s cool voice called out. _“Quan is down.”_ Several gunshots rang out.

“Fuck!” Neo snarled, kicking into a higher gear. Rain rushed past her, taking fallen logs and downed trees like they were hurtles. Those that were too large, she leaped over, planting her hands to get leverage. “Christ, that girl can _run_.” Neo offered. She was no slouch but she didn’t have a hope in hell of catching the girl. “Rain, get back here!”

The girl wasn’t listening. She bounded through the trees. She dipped under the higher branches and limbs, diving over others. Her free running lifestyle prepared her well for terrain such as this. She left Neo and Sadiira behind as she made her way.

She burst through the undergrowth and had to jump to avoid getting brained with a heavy wooden branch. She somersaulted to her feet, her bow and arrow immediately in her hands.

She spared a quick look around. It was obvious the two girls had been surprised. Quan lay still on the ground, a huge gash across her forehead. Blood flowed freely.

Nadiira was sitting against a tree, beside the downed fighter. Her left arm hung useless at her side. Her shoulder had been brutally wrenched from its socket. Her shotgun lay a dozen feet away in the dirt. She had a pistol free and was pointing it at the creature. The slide was back and the weapon was empty and her hand was trembling.

Rain quickly turned back to the Wendigo. He was as average as was possible to be. Short brown hair, lean pale features but that was where his human visage ended. His mouth was filled with sharp dripping teeth and his eyes were a dark, eerily glowing red. Rain backed over and stood in front of the fallen warriors and drew back the string. Her first arrow punched a hole in the Wendigo’s eye. The monster roared and staggered back. Three more arrows walked their way up his torso, pushing him back even further. She didn’t need to kill him. She just needed to keep him occupied for…

The demon was suddenly lifted from behind as Neo exploded from the trees. She wrapped her arms around his waist and carried him several feet before driving him down into the ground. She shoulder rolled to her feet. Rain lowered her bow as she watched her girlfriend at work.

Sadiira immediately moved to her sisters’ side. She stared at the girl. Nadiira took a deep breath and nodded. Sadiira gripped her arm and pulled, snapping the shoulder back into place. Nadiira let out a harsh grunt but nothing more than that. She rose to her feet, flexing her shoulder. She grabbed her weapon and slung it. “We have to go,” she said to Rain as the pair lifted Quan from the ground.

Rain shook her head. “I can’t leave her.”

“She will be fine,” Sadiira said. “She is Neo.”

“Someone has to stay and help her. She shouldn’t be left alone,” Rain said.

“Believe me, she prefers it.” Sadiira offered. “She’s going to show him her true self.”

“What does that mean?” Rain asked.

“She is feared for a reason. She is going to show him why.” The girl returned.

“I wanna see that.”

“No. You don’t.” Sadiira shot back, matter-of-fact. “What you see will scare you. It’ll make you afraid of her.” She shook her head. “Neo won’t want that. Not for you.”

“I have to _see_ ,” Rain said, looking at the pair. “I have to know.”

They gave her a nod and moved off, carrying the big woman between them. Rain turned back and kept her bow ready with an arrow knocked. She could see Neo’s face was a mask of complete and total rage. She’d never seen anger so… _complete_ , so all-consuming in her life.

At this moment, Neo wasn’t just angry. She was fury personified. Rain had heard everyone speak of Neo as if she were some terrifying force. She had to see for herself _why_.

Neo pulled the earpiece out and reached down and gripped the Wendigo by his hair and lifted him bodily from the ground. “You like to eat people, huh?” She asked. She reached up and ripped the arrow from his eye and tossed it aside. She followed suit with the other three shots. “When I’m done with you, you’re gonna wish your demon ass stayed in hell.” He roared at her. She gripped his bottom jaw tightly in her right hand. “Shut the fuck up!” She wrapped her left arm about his skull and gave out with a grunt. The muscles in her arm bulged and tensed. With the sound of cracking bone and tearing flesh and sinew, the Wendigo’s jaw was torn free of his face.

Rain felt bile rise in her throat. She’d never seen anything so disturbing in her life.

But Neo was far from finished with him. This beast had dared to lay a hand on her friends, her family. Thus it had to pay dearly for such daring. She grabbed its lolling tongue and likewise tore it free. Blood shot from the creature’s mouth. “Eat me now, motherfucker!” She snarled. She spun and rammed his head against a tree with enough force to crack his skull. She pulled him back and smashed his head in again. Blood burst forth from the fractures in his hairline. She turned and threw him to the ground. He lay there groaning and growling.

The potential stepped over and planted her booted foot on his chest. “I want you to do me a favor when you get to hell.” She gripped his wrist and lifted his arm. “When you’re done screaming and crying…” She wrapped both arms about his and began pulling. The creature wailed piteously. Neo put every ounce of strength she had into what she was doing.

Rain watched with absolute shock as slowly, the Wendigo’s arm was pulled out of the socket, then torn free of his body.

Neo threw the limb aside and knelt on his chest. She lifted him up and looked into his one good eye. “I want you tell all the motherfuckers you meet about me. You tell ‘em Neo sent you. And if they decide to come back to my world, to possess someone else or to infect another corpse, _I’ll_ be waitin’ for ‘em.” She gripped his neck. With a squeeze and a pull, tore his throat out. “And I’m gonna do the same damn thing to them.” She finally took hold of his head and twisted violently. A series of angry horrible _snaps_ resulted. “Rest in pieces, motherfucker,” she said, rising back to her feet.

She dusted her knees off and turned to leave when she heard the sound of someone vomiting. She turned to see Rain bent over in the bushes, puking her guts up. Neo moved closer and stopped a couple of feet away. “You alright, baby?”

Rain shook her head and heaved again. After several minutes, she was finally done. She pulled a napkin out of one of her pockets and wiped her mouth. She spat a couple of times and took a swallow of the water in her canteen. She swished it about and spat it out. She did this a few more times and put everything away. She slowly turned to look at Neo. The rage was gone, replaced with the same beautiful face that had so thoroughly seduced her in Victorville. “I didn’t believe it,” she said, shaking her head. “I mean, I heard…everyone tells stories but…”

Neo crossed her arms. “You’ve heard the tales of how truly terrifying I am but you couldn’t bring yourself to believe it, huh?” She took a step closer. “You see me between your legs, between Talia’s, fucking the shit out of the both of you and think that maybe, just maybe, it’s all exaggeration, right?” Rain was nodding before she realized it. Neo held her hands out wide. “Meet the real me.”

“You tore him apart,” Rain said. “I mean, you _literally_ tore him apart.” She shook her head again. “I’ve never seen anything like that.”

“Isn’t the first time I’ve done it,” Neo said. “This is who I am, Rain. This is what I do.” She took a chance and moved up, placing her hands on Rain’s shoulders. “In my confession, I swear and cross my heart. I stand before you what I am. Gunpowder ready, just waiting for a spark.” She softened her expression. “and those before me understand.”

Rain stared into her eyes. “Please protect me,` keep me safe. Heaven help me, save me from this fate.” She managed to give the girl a smile. “Bad blood, never can change, no one here to blame. Bad blood, older than time followed me down from my father’s tribe.”

“Surprised you know that song,” Neo said, smiling.

“It’s one of my favorites,” Rain said. “I love you, Alice. I’m not going to lie to you and tell you that what you just did doesn’t scare the shit out of me, because it does. But I know you only do it to keep the people you care about safe.”

“Recently there’ve been days I wish I weren’t as fucked up as I am, Rain. You and Tal, you both deserve a normal girl that doesn’t have a mental history that reads like a psychology textbook.” She caressed the girl’s cheek with her thumb. “There are times I wish I could give that to you.”

“I know,” Rain said. “It’s the fact that you desperately wish to change who and what you are for us that tells us all that you love us. Before you met Talia and I, you loved the way you were. You wouldn’t change it for the world. Now you wish you could. That’s enough for us.” She kissed the woman lightly on the lips. “I’d kiss you better than that but not before I brush my teeth.”

Neo nodded. “Fair enough. Let’s go home.” The pair made their way back to the cabin. As soon as they entered, Neo looked at Talia. “How’s Quan?”

“She has a rather nasty cut but beyond that she’s alright. Apparently, our friend got the drop on her,” Talia offered.

Neo could see how pale the woman was. She looked to Rain. “Why don’t you go grab a shower? I’ll talk to Tal a minute.” The girl nodded and made her way to the bedroom. She looked to Talia. “Let me guess. You saw?” She asked, pointing to the computer screen. Talia nodded. “Anything I can say to make it better?” Neo moved over and sat in the chair Cerri had more than likely vacated as soon as Quan had been dragged in.

Talia swallowed and tried to speak a couple of times. Neo took her hands and gave her a moment. She was pleased that Talia didn’t pull away. “I’m a monster, Tal. I wanna say you knew that but the fact of the matter is, you really didn’t. Neither you nor the kid really, _really_ knew. Like Rain said, you’ve heard the stories the other girls tell. But you’ve never really seen it with your own two eyes.” She nodded toward the computer. “Now you have. Real-time. You know what I am and what I do. Now you know why I have the reputation that I do.”

“It was so… _brutal_.” Talia managed to say.

“Yeah, it was,” Neo said. “But what you saw is the reason why Portland is _safe_. It’s why a city of over a half million people is nearly vampire and monster free.” She scooted closer until her knees were touching Talia’s. “I know what you saw is scary as hell. Like I said to the kid, there are days that I wish I wasn’t this. I wish I could just love the two of you and not be some crazy-ass bitch with anger issues. I can’t be that for you, though Talia. It hurts me, it hurts my heart to know that there’s something in this world that I just don’t have the power to give you.” She swallowed deep. “I love you, Talia. I love you so much. I’ll never hurt you. All of this strength, all this brutality will always be yours. I’ll use it to protect you and Rain. I’ll do everything in my power to at the very least keep you safe.” She felt a tear threaten. She let it fall. “It’s all I’ve got, Tal. It’s all I’ll ever have. I just hope it’ll be enough.”

Talia looked deeply into Neo’s eyes. Normally, all that was ever there was a swirling cloud of anger and sarcasm. But at this moment, the fog had cleared. For the first time, she saw what truly lie beneath the hard as diamond exterior of the leader of Demon Queller. She saw something she thought she would never see. She had found the one thing that Neo genuinely _feared_. Talia knew at that moment that her next words would make or break the young potential. “It _is_ enough, Alice.” She pulled the girl in and kissed her softly, yet passionately. “It will always be enough.” She rested her forehead against that of her young love. “I love you as well. I always will.”

“I’m sorry, Tal,” Neo said to her. “I’m sorry I have to be this way.”

“No, you’re not,” Talia said, looking Neo in the eye. “More to the point, I won’t allow you to be sorry. You’re _motherfucking_ Neo. The terror of all things supernatural. That reputation is your greatest weapon. And every so often motherfuckers need to be reminded of _why_.”

Neo grinned at her. She pulled the slim British beauty onto her lap. “You know, I like it when you get all hardcore and cuss like that.”

“Get you nice and wet, there does it?” Talia asked, threading her fingers into Neo’s thick locks.

“You bet your gorgeous ass it does.” Neo returned.

“Well then get your Goddamn ass in that fucking bedroom so I can tear your clothes off and fuck you into paralysis.” She slid off Neo’s lap and took her hands, pulling her to her feet. She then turned her around and swatted her ass as hard as she could.

“God, I’m gonna love this,” Neo said, swaying her hips.

Talia watched the girl go, then hissed quietly and shook her hand. “Bloody hell. Girl’s ass is like concrete.”

 

Cerri sat beside Quan, dabbing at her face with a cool rag. She sniffed and once again wiped the tears from her eyes. She knew that Anna wasn’t seriously hurt. She knew full well that it looked much worse than it was. Cuts to the head always bled profusely, despite being small and shallow.

From what Nadiira said, she’d been bashed across the head with a large tree limb. The branch shattered across her skull but she hadn’t activated any of her tattoos to help her. So when she was hit, she was exactly what she looked to be. A teenage girl with a shit ton of muscle and skin art.

“Please, wake up,” Cerri said. Her voice seemed so very small in the room. She dipped the cloth back into the cold water and wrung it out. She moved to touch it to Quan’s cheek…

To see the girl’s beautiful eyes staring at her. “You been cryin’ baby,” she said, reaching up to touch her hand to the girl’s face.

Cerri tossed the washcloth into the bowl and clutched Quan’s hand. “I was so worried about you,” the young girl said, nestling her face against the elder fighter’s skin.

“I’m fine, Cerri,” Quan said, she scooted up and sat against the head of the bed. “Been hit harder by bigger.”

“How do you feel?” Cerri asked her. “Please be honest with me.” The tears in her eyes broke Quan’s heart.

“I got a bit of a headache,” Quan said.

Cerri straddled Quan’s lap and took hold of the muscular woman’s shirt and lifted it up and over her head. She then ran her hand over the tattoo of a phoenix on her right rib. “You tap into this one and heal yourself.” She looked into Quan’s eyes. “Please, Anna. I need you not to be in pain tonight.”

Quan immediately understood and nodded. She closed her eyes and concentrated. Cerri watched as the beautiful bird began beating its wings. It gained momentum, directing healing energies through the big woman. As it flapped furiously on Quan’s skin, the cut across her forehead slowly closed and faded into nothing save a pale scar. After a moment, Quan opened her eyes. The tattoo returned to its unanimated state. “Now I’m fine, baby.”

Cerri nodded and leaned forward, pressing her lips to those of her older lover. Quan’s huge arms wrapped about Cerri’s waist, holding her close. The slighter girl’s fingers threaded into Quan’s thick tresses. The little drummer needed to feel her powerful lover pressed against her this night.

She needed it more than anything in the world.


	39. Chapter 39

Neo felt her foot shake. She blinked several times and turned to the foot of the bed. Cerri stood in a long t-shirt and a pair of footie socks. “Get up,” she said, her voice heavy with sleep. “Rite’s on the line. Needs to talk to you.”

She groaned and nodded. “Gimme a sec. Gotta take a piss.” She extracted herself from between Talia and Rain, earning sleep-filled grumblings from the pair of them. She could see it was still dark outside. She moved from the bedroom of the cabin into the bathroom and shut the door. She quickly showered and got cleaned up before donning a pair of cargo pants and a tank top. She yawned as she walked into the living room.

“Took you long enough,” Cerri said.

“Fuck you, squirt,” Neo said, moving to the fridge. “I smelled like pussy and sweat.” She pulled a can of coke out and popped it. “So what do we got?”

“Go ahead, Rite,” Cerri said.

“I was telling Cerri that I got a call from the Winchesters. They’re in the town of Scipio in Utah.”

Neo furrowed her brow. “Where the fuck is that?”

“In Utah,” Rite said, her tone carrying a bit of a ‘duh’ quality to it. “They said something about demon biker trouble.”

Neo’s eyes lit up. “No way,” she said, happily. “You gotta be shittin’ me.” She ran over to the computer to look at Rite through the webcam. “They got Hellions?”

“From what they’re telling me,” Rite said. “I’ve checked the satellite images and it seems to pan out. About forty bikers came into town a few hours ago. They’re pretty much burning the place to the ground. Sam and Dean are pinned down in an old as shit trailer on the north end of town. The bikers trashed Dean’s Impala, apparently. They’re in hiding, right now. They don’t have enough firepower or manpower to make a dent.”

“Call ‘em and tell ‘em the cavalry is on the way.” Neo looked at the clock. “How long a drive is it?”

“At the speed limit, it’s ten hours and forty-three minutes, shortest distance,” Rite said to her. “Probably less for you lead-foots.”

“Alright. I’m gonna get the girls up. We’ll get there as soon as we can,” Neo said. “Let ‘em know.”

“Will do,” Rite said, ending the chat.

“Looks like we got us a movie,” Neo said, excitement in her tone. “God, I’m looking forward to this.” She turned and ran through the house, waking the girls up.

A half-hour later, everyone was clean, dressed and standing in the living room. Cerri filled them all in on what was happening.

“Well, I can tell you what we’re doin’ first,” Quan said, crossing her arms. “We’re pickin’ up a couple of different rigs in Fresno and storing the trucks and the trailer.” She looked at Neo who seemed somewhat confused. “If we’re gonna be playin’ Road Warrior with a bunch of demon bikers, I ain’t doin’ it my Ford. Just lost everything in Victorville. I ain’t riskin’ that shit again.”

Everyone, to a woman, nodded their heads. “Makes sense,” Talia offered.

“Let’s go. We got a long way to go a short time to get there,” Neo said to the girls.

“Eastbound and down…” Rain started singing with a southern twang. Neo just looked at her and grinned.

It didn’t take long before they were back on the road, heading for the city of Fresno, California.

Rite called and let them know that Sam and Dean would do their best to hold what they had until the girls arrived. “Shame about his Impala,” Quan said to no one in particular. “That was a nice rig.”

“Hope they can get it fixed,” Cerri said to them.

“Dean is a gifted mechanic,” Sadiira offered. “If it’s salvageable, he can fix it.”

Quan smiled. “That isn’t all he’s gifted at, is it?” she asked them both. They gave her a wide smile. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” She flicked her eyes to Cerri, who sat with her tablet in her hands. “Any luck finding us a couple of rigs we can chew up for this?”

“I’ve found a place in Fresno that is selling old decommissioned cop cars.” She looked at Quan. “They have a couple of 2003 Crown Victoria Interceptors for twenty-five hundred bucks.” She grinned. “And they’re both black.”

“You know Neo is gonna hate that,” Quan said.

“Tough shit. They’re tough as hell and perfect for what we’re gonna be using them for,” Cerri said, simply.

Quan nodded. “Did you manage to find us a place where we can store these rigs and a trailer?”

Cerri again nodded. “I did us one better. There’s a girl that lives just north of town in Rolling Hills that’s a member of the site. She owns fifteen acres of property. She said she’d be happy to store our rigs free of charge for as long as we need to.”

“Is she legit?” Quan asked.

“Sheryl Bennett. She’s a student at Clovis Community College. Both parents passed away in a car accident last year. She inherited the property and is living off their insurance.”

“You managed to find all that out in…” Quan looked at her watch. “Twenty minutes?”

The twins chuckled from the backseat. Cerri looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “This _surprises_ you?”

“It really shouldn’t, should it?” Quan asked her.

“No. No, it really shouldn’t,” Cerri said to her. “Granted, I’m no Rite but I’m damn good at what I do.”

“Not arguin’ that. Just didn’t realize how thorough you were,” Quan said, smiling. “Let me know where this chick is.”

Cerri called Neo to let her know the plan. She then directed Quan to a large farmhouse a good distance from the road. “This is it.”

As they pulled up, a woman in her early twenties stepped out onto the front porch of the house. She was plain with long brown hair, a pair of glasses upon her face and a red flannel shirt with a pair of jeans and work boots. She also had a smile plastered across her face. A large malamute husky bounded down the stairs to run around the two rigs. “Bucky! Come!” She shouted. The dog immediately ran back up to the porch and sat down beside her. “Stay!”

The trucks pulled to a stop and all seven of the girls climbed out. The woman came down the stairs, the huge dog in tow. “Hey, ladies,” she said, happily. “I’m Sheryl.” She looked at Cerri. “I believe you’re the one I spoke to.”

Cerri immediately offered her hand. “I am indeed. Cerridwen.”

“I know who you are,” Sheryl said. “I know who all you ladies are.” She looked to Rain. “’Cept you.”

“Rain,” she said, shaking hands. “I’m new.”

“Yeah, we picked her up in Victorville,” Neo said. “Thanks for letting us store our gear here. We really do appreciate it.”

“It’s no problem at all,” Sheryl said. “That there workshop’s empty. If you all wanna pull your rigs inside. Keep anyone from getting too curious.”

“That’ll work,” Neo said, nodding. She and Quan got back in the trucks and fired them up. The shop was large enough, barely for both vehicles. They climbed out and exited the building.

Sheryl pushed the door closed and looped a massive chain through the handles and secured it with a large padlock. “Should keep it safe enough.”

“Is there anything we can do to thank you?” Talia asked her.

She shook her head. “None necessary, doll. Just glad I could be of help.”

“Do have another favor to ask.” Quan piped up, looking around. “You got a few old rigs around here. Any of ‘em run?”

“All of ‘em do,” Sheryl said. “My dad was a bit of a tinkerer. He liked working on stuff. You need something to tool around town in?”

“We’ve got a couple of errands to run and need a ride,” Neo said to her. “We can make it worth your while.”

“That’s alright. Don’t worry about it,” Sheryl said. “That old Dodge works pretty good,” she said, pointing to an old powder blue 1985 Aries. “Not really sure where dad got it from.”

Neo and Quan moved over to inspect it. “This’ll work,” Neo said, shrugging. “It is licensed and all that?”

“Yeah. She was what I drove when I went to school.” She pointed to the new Chevy Truck. “Then I bought that.”

“Nice,” Quan said. Sheryl handed her the keys. “We really do appreciate this.”

“It’s no problem. Given what you ladies do, it makes me glad I can help out.”

“Come on, Tal,” Quan said, climbing behind the wheel of the rig. Neo took shotgun and Talia climbed in the back. The little car rattled to life and pulled away.

Quan sighed as she shifted gears. “God, this thing is gutless.”

Neo chuckled. “Zero to sixty in what?”

“Three days,” Talia said from the backseat. “It says it has an eighty-five mile an hour top speed. A bit optimistic, if you ask me.”

“No shit,” Quan said. “But it gets the job done. These things are great on gas mileage.”

“So…where are we going?” Neo asked. “You’ve been decidedly vague about it.” She narrowed her eyes. “I’m immediately suspicious.”

Quan didn’t say anything. Neo turned to look at Talia who simply shook her head and shrugged. A few minutes later they drove up to a large building that looked like some sort of warehouse. Neo read the sign on the front and turned to Quan, her brow furrowed. “Are you _fucking_ with me?”

“Oh, quit your bitchin’,” Quan said as she pulled to a stop. “It’s not like we’re gonna be drivin’ ‘em full time.”

“Look at it this way,” Talia said, throwing her arms around Neo. “You don’t have to care what happens to them.”

Neo sighed and gripped Talia’s butt. “Good point,” she said. “Let’s go and see what they got.”

They entered the building to see disused cars sitting all along the walls. “Check it out,” Neo said, pointing to a late nineties black and white Corvette. “Pursuit Special.”

“Yeah, you never wanna buy a pursuit car,” Quan said. “Those things have been beat to shit.”

“I bet. I had to sit behind the wheel, I’d probably stomp on it any chance I had.” Neo offered. “I think that’s what we’re looking for.”

“That we are,” Quan said, moving up to the selection of matte black Fords. “Nice,” she said, nodding. “Let’s see…” She said, walking along, looking at the window stickers. “There we go.” She pointed to the two that sat at twenty-four ninety-nine. “This is us.”

Nearly an hour later, the three of them left the warehouse, heading back for Sheryl’s property. Neo sat behind the wheel and was not at all happy. She hated cop cars with a fiery passion. Given as much time as she spent in one, she felt her hatred justified. She did have to give credit where credit was due, the cars were in great shape, given how old they were. They were worth the money the website was paying for them. She mashed the gas pedal. The speed ratcheted up. She let off and grinned. “At least it sounds good.”

They drove up the gravel lane and came to a stop. Talia drove the Aries back where it was parked and climbed out as the others did likewise. They immediately heard the booming bark of Bucky, Sheryl’s giant malamute inside the house. The three of them were all the way to the door when the woman pulled it open. “Did you get everything you needed?” she asked them.

“We did. Thanks for loaning us your ride,” Quan offered, leaning down the give the friendly furry brute some attention. “Good boy. Letting mama know there’s someone here.” The dog rolled his tongue about as he revealed in the attention.

“You all are gonna spoil him,” she said, letting everyone in. “The rest of your girls are in the kitchen helping me cook dinner. Figure you all might want something to eat before you set off.”

“I like food,” Neo said, smiling.

“That’s what your girlfriend was telling me. Hope you like spaghetti,” Sheryl said. “Alright, Buck, good lord. You little attention whore,” she said, nudging the dog aside with her foot.

They moved into the kitchen to see the twins working in tandem. One of them was browning meat in a huge cast iron skillet while the other was cutting peppers, mushrooms, and onions.

“So, if you all don’t mind me askin’…what are you going to take care of?” Sheryl asked.

“Demon bikers,” Neo said. “That’s the reason we’re storing our shit and taking those two Interceptors.”

Sheryl cocked her head. “Is that those same demon bikers that the girls in Point Defiance dealt with?”

Rain nodded her head. “Twice. Once out past Newberry at the Flying J and again up north of Metaline in Washington. Word has it there are thousands of them prowling the American highways. Mostly stick to small towns.”

Neo looked at her girlfriend and to Sheryl. “I am so _incredibly_ stoked. In all the years I’ve been doing this, I have _never_ had the chance to take these guys on.” She threw a few excited punches. “ _God_ , I can’t wait.”

The twins shook their heads as everyone else giggled. “She’s very enthusiastic,” Talia said, smiling.

“I can tell,” Sheryl offered. The girls sat down for a nice dinner and shot the breeze. Cerri put in a call to Rite and set up to have a full swag bag sent to the woman loaded with everything the site offers. They even promised to put signatures to it all when they got back.

Sheryl stood on the porch waving as the girls headed out. Cerri stood beside her sighing heavily. The elder woman rested a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “They’ll be alright.”

“I just wish I could go with them,” the petite drummer said, sadly.

“Quan made a good point. There might not be any safe haven in the town for you to work your mojo. At least here I got a good internet connection and you’re safe.”

Cerri nodded. “That’s true.” She wasn’t necessarily worried. If push came to shove, she could protect herself quite well. She might not be a match for a vampire but she was fairly certain she’d mop the floor with the woman beside her.

Quan took the lead in the first car with Sadiira in the front seat and her sister in the back. The big woman looked into the rearview mirror at her love. She wiped a tear from her eye and concentrated on the road. Neo drove the second car with Rain in the front seat and Talia seated in the back. “Oddly reminiscent, this.”

Neo chuckled. “That’s pretty much what I think.” She looked around. “I mean, they do the job, I guess. And you were right. I don’t have to give a shit what I do to it. Using this thing to bash the shit out of demons is kind of poetic, truth be told.”

Rain looked over at her. “It sounds good.”

Neo gave her a nod. “True. She’s got plenty of pep in her step as Quan would say.”

“Now long a drive are we looking at?” Talia asked her.

“About nine hours at this speed,” Neo said, looking at her gauges. “Fuel economy is gonna be balls in this thing, though.” She sighed. “This thing, sadly don’t get much better mileage than the trucks.”

“You’ve got to be joking,” Talia said to her. “That huge monstrosity got, what was it? Sixteen miles to the gallon? Thing car doesn’t get any better than that?”

“Eighteen, thereabouts,” Neo said, shaking her head. “Gotta remember, though. These are both running small block four-point-six liter V-8’s. Two hundred and fifty horses pulling about two tons. Power to weight of a hundred and twenty-five horses per ton.” She shook her head. “Little guy is pulling some serious fuckin’ weight.”

“You’d figure with the performance, they’d have bigger engines with more power than that,” Rain said.

“I’m sure Quan could probably spit all kinds of numbers and stats at you about gearing and shit,” Neo said. “I know my way around a car and can throw out the basics but I am straight up _lost_ when that girl gets going. Cerri can’t even keep up with her at that point. Only two people I’ve ever seen be able to match her shot for shot on cars was Kat and Max,” Neo said.

Talia yawned and stretched out in the backseat. “I’m glad they put in standard seats back here.”

“Yeah. Would have sucked ass otherwise,” Neo offered. She rested her arm on the door and settled in. “Get comfortable ladies.”

Rain reached up and turned on the stereo. “At least it’s got satellite radio.”

“Cops threw in six months free with each car,” Neo said. “Gotta dig on that.” She clicked over to something called _The Boneyard_ according to the receiver. Neo immediately perked up. “Oh _snap_! That’s my jam. Turn that shit up.” Rain smiled as she did so. Neo immediately began pounding out a beat on the steering wheel as the drums kicked out and the guitar began to rip. Rain was psyched. “We all know about sixty-nine…” The potential began singing along with _Long Stick Goes Boom_ by Krokus.

Talia closed her eyes and bobbed her head with the music. Before she met the girls, she wasn’t exactly a fan of heavy metal music. Now, she was rather fond of it. Though she was sure her girlfriend’s voice had much to do with it.


	40. Chapter 40

Max sat in front of the large bank of screens, bored out of her skull. “You know, if it weren’t for that fact that I know I’m a vampire already, I would have sworn I’d have died of boredom by now,” she said, watching the cameras. “How long have we been in this city?” she asked Shelby, who sat beside her reading some motorcycle publication.

“I don’t know. A couple of months.” She looked over at the blonde vampire. “Why do you ask?”

“In that time we’ve dealt with…” Max clicked open a folder and brought up a document. “Seventeen vampires, a Vahrall demon, and a pair of muggers.” She closed the file. “This is boring as shit.”

Steele came up behind the pair, a cold beer in her hand. “You two bitchin’ about how slow it is again?”

“Max is,” Shelby said. “Where’s Celeste?”

“Asleep,” Steele offered. “You wore her out.”

“She’s got some moves, I’ll give her that but she’s gonna have to up her game if she wants to keep up with the three of us,” Shelby said.

“You sure had her pantin’,” Steele said, enjoying the double entendres. “She was definitely nice and sweaty when you got done with her.”

“Oh my God, you two,” Max said, chuckling. She reached over and picked up the phone as it rang. “Max, go.”

“Put it on speaker,” Cerri offered.

Max did as the girl instructed. “You’re on. What’s up?”

“I need you ladies to head to Scipio, Utah,” Cerri said. “The band is gonna need backup.”

Max immediately perked up. “What’s going on? I haven’t heard anything through the grapevine.”

“Hellions. A lot of ‘em. Probably forty or fifty. I’m still in Fresno watching the satellite images. The girls are on their way right now to help out Sam and Dean.”

“Fresno to Scipio is about ten hours. We’re almost four hours behind,” Steele said, looking at her watch.

“They’re gonna need the help,” Cerri said.

“We’ll get there,” Max said to her. She looked at Steele. “We can’t take your truck. It’s too slow.”

“Them’s fightin’ words, tiny,” Steele said. “That’s a C-16 Cat with a high-pressure twin turbo system and wide-body exhaust. Six hundred and ninety horses on the ground and near as makes no difference two thousand foot pounds. I’ve kissed a buck twenty in that motherfucker.”

“A hundred and twenty?” Shelby asked. “In a semi?”

“Al-can highway south from Anchorage about eight years ago,” Steele said. “I’d just gotten the motor put in and wanted to see what she’d do. Unwound her and pushed it to the floor. According to the speedo, I was doing a hundred and eighteen and was slowly gaining speed. Engine never even redlined. Not once.”

“That was with a trailer, wasn’t it?” Max asked, her wheels turning.

“Yeah,” Steele said. “She’s probably a lot faster bob-tail.”

“Good. Then you ladies need to get on the road. You don’t have a hell of a lot of time,” Cerri said. All of them could hear the concern in her voice.

“We’re on our way,” Steele said to her reaching down to end the call.

“I am _not_ taking my car,” Max said. “I remember what happened to Kat’s Merc. You fuckers got back from Metaline with that thing on a fuckin’ trailer.” She shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

“Then we’ll take my rig and keep an eye out for something on the way,” Steele said. “But we gotta roll. Shel, wake up Celeste. Max with me. I need to get the rig unhitched while you load us up some hardware from my trailer.”

“What do you wanna bring?” Max asked her.

“Old Painless,” Steele said, heading for the door.

“Christ, are you fucking serious?” Max fell in step beside her. “That’s overkill, isn’t it?” She paused a moment as Steele looked at her. “And I forget who I’m talking to.” She shook her head as she moved to the back of the trailer. “Fuckin’ minigun. Can’t believe you.”

Steele went about unhooking the trailer from the rig. She then climbed up onto the rear deck and opened the massive diamond plated steel chest bolted to the back of the cab. She began taking the bags that Max tossed up to her. “Make sure you bring the large red crate, too.”

“Do I even wanna know what’s in it?” Max asked her. “It’s not like, a nuke or anything is it?”

“No. It’s grenades and flashbangs,” Steele said to her. Max sighed and carried it forward. Steele instructed her to get a few other things, then locked the chest back up. “That ought to do us,” she said, nodding.

Celeste and Shelby came out of the building, making sure everything was secure. “Shelby said we’re driving to Utah.” The Watcher offered.

“The girls need help. They’re dealing with Hellions,” Steele said, pulling the passenger door open. “We ain’t got a lotta time, so if you ladies wanna climb aboard, we’ll get on the road.”

Celeste got in and immediately got back into the sleeper. “The Hellions are, if memory serves, demonic motorcyclists, are they not?”

Shelby nodded as she dropped down against the wall. “Yeah. We dealt with them last year up north of Metaline in eastern Washington. Tangled with about twenty or so of ‘em.” She smiled as she turned the television on, settling in. “Good times.”

Steele took her place behind the wheel and Max took shotgun. The huge Peterbilt roared to life. “Wake up, baby. Mama needs ya.” The engine idled loudly. Steele released the air brake and put the truck into third gear. The semi lurched forward. She cranked the wheel and took off, shifting gears quickly.

“Just out of curiosity, how much does this thing weigh?” Max asked her.

“Bobtail like this, you’re looking at close to nine tons. Nineteen thousand pounds, I think. Been a while since I’ve weighed her.” Steele rolled out onto the highway and began burying the needle. The huge Cat under the hood snarled and roared as it woke up. The speed quickly climbed.

Celeste leaned forward. “How fast are you going?”

Steele looked at her dash. “Eighty and climbing. Takes a while for the big girl to get up to, to speed but once she gets there, she’ll do it all night long.” She looked at the woman. “We got over four hours to make up between here and there.”

“Aren’t you going to get pulled over?” she asked, curiously.

“Nope,” Shelby said. “All of the hunters’ vehicles are registered with The Initiative. Most, if not all of them have government plates. A few weeks ago, Danforth made it official. LEO’s know not to pull any of us over anymore. Every so often you get a hotshot cowboy that does the whole ‘not in mah town’ bullshit,” She made quotations marks in the air. “But for the most part, we’re left alone. That’s why Steele, Max, and I had to take that driver’s test at the cop shop downtown last week.”

“That was a government issue test?” Celeste asked her. “I had no idea.”

“Yeah. We’re all basically government registered drivers, now,” Max said as she pulled her cell phone out and began sifting through Craigslist. “We need to find something that we can go all Road Warrior in and not have to worry about bangin’ it up.”

“Try and find me a bike,” Shelby said from the sleeper. “That’s when I can do my best work.”

“I gotcha,” Max said.

“Make sure it’s something sturdy. You don’t want something that’s gonna get chewed up and spat out,” Steele added.

“Are you all forgetting that besides Kat, I’m the car chick of the group?” Max asked them. “I know what I’m looking for. You concentrate on driving and you concentrate on… whatever it is you’re doing back there.”

“I’m watching TV, dead girl,” Shelby said. “Unlike you, I can think about more than sex.”

“Hey,” Max said, turning to look at her. “I think about music and cars, too.”

“So you just think about sex _most_ of the time,” Shelby said, chuckling.

“Fuck you, Golem,” Max said. “Celeste. Smack her for me.”

“Ow!” Shelby said as the woman walloped her on the arm. “Bitch.” She looked at the brunette Watcher.

“Hah!” Max said. “And I didn’t even use the voice.” She turned back around and sifted through the website. “What kind of bike do you want?”

“Probably want a good solid dirt bike. Something light, fast, and rugged,” Shelby said to her. “You checkin’ Craigslist?”

“Yeah,” Max said. “We’re gonna be on 84 all the way across the state. Right now, I’m checking the Columbia Gorge for anything we can snatch up along the way. No street bikes or crotch rockets?”

“As long as it isn’t a Harley,” Shelby said. “Fuckin’ hate Harley’s.”

“I hear you,” Max said. “You said you wanted a dirt bike, right? How about a Honda 650L?”

“That’ll get it done. Those were good bikes back in the day,” Shelby said. “You found one?”

“Guy’s selling a 2003 for twenty-two hundred bucks. Looks in pretty good shape. Got a little over six thousand miles on it.” Max turned to look at her. “He’s in The Dalles.”

“Steele? Think we could stop in and check it out?” Shelby asked her.

“Yeah, we can do that. We’ll be ripping right through there, anyway,” she said. “Max, give the guy a call. Let him know we’re on our way.”

“On it,” The vampire said, dialing his number. After a few minutes, she hung up and went back to searching for something she could drive. “Shel’s taken care of.”

“Nice,” Shelby said, turning back to the TV.

Steele kept the speed up, keeping a close watch on her gauges. Max leaned back in the seat, still searching. They stopped in The Dalles and made a deal on Shelby’s Dirt Bike. She managed to talk the man all the way down to seventeen hundred dollars cash. She and Max strapped it to the back of Steele’s semi and were back on the road a half hour later.

The hours and miles rolled past. Shelby and Celeste had both passed out in the sleeper. Steele had her one hand on the wheel and the other on the gearshift. “You okay to keep driving?” Max asked her. “I can take over if you need to get a little sleep.”

Steele shook her head. “I’m fine. I’ve done longer stretches than a fourteen hour before. I’m used to it.”

“Just don’t push yourself too hard,” Max said. “You don’t have to.”

“I know. And believe me, it isn’t because I don’t trust you behind the wheel of this monster. I just don’t mind driving. Ever since I got my knee fixed, I’ve been a bit more energetic and had a bit more stamina.”

“I noticed.” Max offered with a smile. “You can go a lot longer now than you could the first night we were together.” Steele sighed, sadly. Max eyed her a moment and groaned. “Oh, for fuck’s sake, will you let go of that shit?”

“Sorry, it still bothers me. I just saw you as a piece of ass back then, Max.” She flicked her eyes to the vampire. “I didn’t love you then like I do now.”

“You came, you saw, you conquered. It’s the way you were. Did you see me fighting?” Max asked. “In case your ancient ass doesn’t remember, I was pretty much down with it from the word go.”

“I didn’t leave you a whole lot of choice, Max,” Steele said.

“I had a choice, Steele. I could have said no.” Max shook her head. “I never did.”

“I know. And I know its fuckin’ stupid. But I tend to hold onto stupid shit. I still get pangs of guilt over what happened to Vaudan.”

Max cocked her head. “I know you’ll probably shoot this idea down like a German Messerschmitt but…”

“What?” Steele turned to her. “What the fuck?”

“Christ, I am a nerd,” Max said. “My point is that if you really wanna be shuck of that shit but can’t get over it, I can get in there and help out. I’ve done it before.”

Steele sighed. “No. I know you can and I know you would but…good or bad, it’s a part of my past, you know? Some shit, no matter how stupid it might be, I wanna hang onto.” She looked at Max. “I know what I did to you isn’t anything I should really feel bad about. We both had a hell of a good time that night. And look what it led to. But some other shit, I’ve just…I’ve gotta keep. I don’t know why I just have to.”

“I know you do,” Max said to her. “But I wouldn’t be a very good girlfriend if I didn’t at least offer to help.” She went back to her search. “Just don’t beat yourself up over it. You’re one of, if not _the_ baddest bitch on the planet. The guilt bag doesn’t suit you.”

Steele gave a subtle nod. “Still nothing, huh?” The big woman asked Max, changing the subject.

The little blonde vampire shook her head. “I’m finding a lot of stuff but nothing on our way and nothing I would want. Lotta newer shit. Late 80’s early nineties crap.”

“If you’re just gonna beat it to shit, what’s it matter?” Steele asked her.

“Build quality.” Max offered. “Ninety-nine percent of shit made after about 89 is fuckin’ plastic. I don’t wanna dump two or three thousand bucks on something that’s gonna end up getting totaled before I make it twenty feet.”

Steele nodded. “Fair point. So you want something older but still reasonably priced.”

“Preferably something from the mid to late seventies. And I don’t want a damn pickup,” Max said to her. “Lot of fuckin’ pickups.”

“Why not a pickup, just out of curiosity?” Steele asked her.

“I don’t wanna have some Hellion motherfucker jumping onto the back of that shit and putting a fire ax into the back of my head.”

Steele chuckled. “Not like it’d hurt you. Probably just piss you off.”

“Oh, fuck that. You keep forgetting. Just because it won’t kill me doesn’t mean I don’t feel that shit. I’ve always had a pretty decent pain threshold and yeah, it’s gotten a hell of a lot higher since being turned but it all still hurts like fuck,” Max said. “Every time I’ve gotten shot it’s felt like, well, I’ve gotten shot.”

“Seriously?” Steele said. “You’ve been filled with enough lead, you could probably use your nipples for pencils.”

“That was fucked up and you’re never allowed to say that shit again,” Max said, deadpan.

“Yeah, not my finest,” Steele said.

“If I can spare myself a machete to the dome, I’m gonna do my best to do so,” Max said. “So I’m looking for a car or something. We’re coming up on Boise. I’m checking to see what’s available there.” Max suddenly perked up. “Well hello, there.”

“Whatcha got?” Steele asked her.

“1972 Pontiac LeMans. Small block 350 with an upgraded 4 barrel carb and a turbo 350 transmission,” Max said. “Car looks straight. Guy wants five grand for it.”

“That’s not bad. Not exactly a common rig.”

“Just a GTO without the performance,” Max said. “But it’s gonna be perfect for what I plan to use it for. And I _know_ I can talk the guy down.”

“Max? If you wanted to, you get the guy to give it to you for free,” Steele said to her.

“Yeah, but I wouldn’t do that,” Max returned. “Guy put some effort into the rig, I’m not gonna rake him over the coals for it. But I’m also not paying out five grand for a four-barrel carburetor, either.”

“Can’t blame you. Where is it?”

“Nampa.” Max dialed the guy’s number.

“You calling him now?” Steele asked her. “It’s three in the morning.”

“He wants to sell the car, he’s gotta be willing to accept my hours,” Max returned. “Sorry to call you so early,” she said as she looked to Steele with a smile.

The man wasn’t really that upset about being woken up, especially by a pretty blonde girl with a really beautiful voice. He was standing off to the side of his garage as Max walked around the classic ride, taking everything in. “I just took her down to Jackson Hole Wyoming a couple of days ago. Six hour round trip and she didn’t have any problems.” He offered.

Max lifted the hood and checked out the motor. “Looks pretty clean,” she said, leaning down and running her fingers along the sides of the block. She pulled her fingers back and sniffed. “No leaks that I can see.” She looked at him. “Engine ever been rebuilt?”

He gave a shrug. “I don’t know. I’m not the original owner, so I really couldn’t tell you. I did do the carb change myself. I never noticed any kind of issues.”

“Let me hear it fire up,” she said to him.

He handed her the keys. “It starts on the first crank most of the time.”

Max sat down behind wheel and noticed that the seats weren’t too bad. “Interior looks pretty good. Little worn but nothing you wouldn’t expect.” She put the key in and fired it up. True to his word, the car rumbled to life easily. Max pushed the pedal down. The small block growled. “She sounds good,” she said, nodding. She climbed out and closed the door. “You said you wanted five grand.” She looked him in the eye. She drew him in, giving him a warm seductive smile. “How firm are you on that number?”

Ten minutes later, after a quick call to Rite and a wire transfer of four thousand dollars into the man’s account, Max pulled out of his garage and gassed the car up, before she headed for the freeway. She gunned it and after about twenty minutes, caught up with Steele’s truck. The huge trucker had dropped her off at the man’s house and went back to it. Max assured her that she’d either catch up or call her to come back and pick her up if the car turned out to be a dud. It was anything but and she was back on the road. 

Steele looked at in her rearview mirror and smiled. Max looked more at home behind the wheel than she did in the passenger seat. The pretty little vampire had the window down and her arm resting on the door with sunglasses on…which was funny as hell, given it was dark as shit outside.

Max felt her phone vibrate and pulled it out of her pocket, hitting the answer button and putting it on speaker. “Max. Go.”

“Pull into the DMV when you get to Twin Falls, Idaho,” Rite instructed. “I’ve put a call into Danforth. You’re gonna have temporary government plates for the car you just bought.”

“Almost seems like a waste but I’ll do it,” Max said. “Chances are good this thing ain’t gonna survive what we’re gonna do to it.”

“Be that as it may, we don’t want you getting pulled over between now and then,” Rite said.

Max checked her watch. “It’s only gonna be a quarter to six when I get there. Is the office gonna be open?”

“Danforth is having it open special for you,” Rite said. “Good to have friends in high places, isn’t it?”

“Tell me about it,” Max said, chuckling. “It’s almost sacrilege to take this thing into battle, though.”

“Why? It is a nice rig or something?” Rite asked.

“’72 Lemans. Look it up. This one is matte black. All fuckin’ Punisher and shit. Even has tinted windows.”

Rite did as Max said, “Okay, yeah. I see your point. I mean, it ain’t doing a thing for me – thanks, Haru – but I can see why you’d hate having to smash it up.”

“Your new girlfriend with you?” Max asked her, smiling.

“She just made me a banana split,” Rite said. “Who the fuck makes someone a banana split at five in the morning? I didn’t even know I wanted one until she set it down beside me,” Rite said, taking a bite. “This girl, I swear to God she’s psychic.”

“Just for you, geek-girl. Just for you,” Max said. “I’ll leave you two alone. Keep an eye on us while we’re in the field, yeah?”

“Have I ever let you down?” Rite asked her.

“No, you haven’t,” Max said. “And knowing you, you never will. Talk to you later, Rite.” She hung up and sat back.

 

Quan pulled off of Interstate 15 with Neo right behind her. “Keep your eyes open, ladies. We’re gettin’ close to enemy lines.” The twins both raised their eyebrows at the girl. She slowed to a stop at the intersection of the off/on ramp and Highway50. She was just preparing to turn right and was forced to stomp on the brakes as a massive blue Peterbilt 379 with a Honda dirt bike chained to the back of the cab ripped past doing better than a hundred and ten miles an hour. A matte black Pontiac followed closely behind. “Huh. Is it just me or did that look like…?”

Neo’s voice called over the CB Radio, interrupting her. “Was that Steele’s Pete?”

Quan turned onto the road and put the hammer down to catch up. She grabbed the mic and keyed up. “I don’t know.” She managed to get closer and smiled as she read the plate on the back of the big rig.

“Yes, it was. Max is in the LeMans behind me,” Steele said. “Where you girls at?”

Quan grinned. “We’re in the pair of Crown Vics behind you.”

“You two stole cop cars?” Steele asked her.

“No, we bought ‘em. They were cheap and tough,” Neo said. She let go of the microphone. “How in the fuckin’ hell did they beat us here? They were four hours behind and making the drive in a Goddamn Pete.”

“Yes but you’re forgetting one key piece in that rather provocative puzzle,” Talia said to her. Neo turned to her. “It was a Peterbilt driven by _Steele_.”

Neo stared a moment. “Yeah, fair point.” She hung up the mic for the CB and fell in behind the truck. “We’re comin’ boys,” she said, smiling.

 

Dean sat on the broken down sofa plugging shotgun shells into the pump action twelve-gauge. He seemed as cool and collected as ever.

Sam, for his part, was a nervous wreck. He knew it was only a matter of time before the demons found them. And he really didn’t wanna think about what would happen when they did.

“You alright, Sammy?” Dean asked. “You keep pacing like that, you’re gonna end up in the crawlspace.”

“How can you be so calm? There are lord-knows how many demons out there,” Sam said to him.

“Is there anything we can do about it right now?” Dean asked him. “Then there really isn’t any point worrying about it.” He rested the shotgun across his lap. “Might as well try and relax a little. Probably not gonna have much time once the fightin’ starts.”

“I thought we were supposed to get back up,” Sam said.

“We are. Cerri said Neo and the girls are on the way. We’ve also got Steele rolling in from Portland.”

“Shouldn’t they have been here by now?” Sam asked.

“Don’t worry. They’re not gonna let us down.” Dean offered. The thunder of an approaching semi at high speed stole their attention. The elder Winchester rose to his feet and moved to the window. He grinned widely as the massive blue Peterbilt roared up to the trailer. The Jake-brake screamed as the rig slid to a stop. Two black decommissioned Crown Victoria Police Interceptors and a matte black Pontiac skidded to a halt around it. “Speak of the devil.”

Sam looked out beside him. He turned to see Dean give him a smug look. “Shut up,” he said to his sibling.


	41. Chapter 41

The small sleepy town of Scipio, Utah was as quaint as quaint could get. Steele drove point as the convoy rumbled through. “Doesn’t look like much.” The big woman said. “Don’t think I’ve ever been here before.”

Shelby gave her a nod. “I’d go nuts in a place like this.” She looked around. It looked like a warzone. Cars were still burning on the streets, building facades had been boarded up. “You’d think the police would have tried to do something. Or the National Guard.”

Celeste leaned forward from the back. “My read in the landscape is that the military at large doesn’t deal with things like this. What happened in Victorville was a fluke.”

“I’m so fuckin’ pissed that I missed that,” Steele offered. “That had to have been awesome.”

“Most watched videos on the site,” Shelby said. “I just hope these guys haven’t moved on.”

“They haven’t,” Steele said, pointing to a large building. “In the alley.” Shelby looked as they passed. “We’re being watched.”

“Think they’re gonna wait for sundown?” Shelby asked.

“I really hope…what the fuck is Neo doing?” Steele noticed in the rearview mirror that one of the Fords had stopped.

Shelby picked up the CB. “Neo, what are you doing?”

“Sending a message. You guys keep going. I’ll catch up,” the potential said, cheer in her voice.

“I know what she’s doing,” Shelby said.

Steele nodded. “A-Team approach.” Shelby gestured her agreement.

“A-Team approach?” Celeste asked. “I don’t get it.”

“You’ve never watched the old A-Team TV show?” Shelby asked her.

“I’ve heard of it but I’ve never watched it.”

“After people hire the A-Team to do a job, the boys always went to the bad guys, kicked in the door and let them know they were on borrowed time. Just the whole ‘let’s see you pick on someone your own size’ kind of thing.” Shelby offered.

“Basically Neo’s gonna beat the shit out of the Hellion we saw and send him scurrying back to his buddies in a bloody heap,” Steele said to her. “Like she said, she’s sending a message.”  

“That girl is going to get herself killed,” Celeste said. “She’s a human girl. She can’t go one on one with a demon biker.”

Both Steele and Shelby laughed. “You obviously don’t know Neo very well,” the elder slayer remarked.

 

Neo stopped the car after hanging up the microphone. “You two wait here,” she said to Talia and Rain. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Talia sighed heavily and pulled Neo’s head around, kissing her firmly. “Try not to get yourself killed.”

Rain then did the same. “What she said.”

Neo grinned widely. “Hey. It’s me.”

“We know,” the pair said in unison.

Neo climbed out of the car, cracking her knuckles. She stepped around to the trunk and opened it, pulling out her fighting gloves. She then began moving toward the darkened alley. “Hey, you!” She shouted. “Yeah, you, you ugly motherfucker! Come here!”

The demon furrowed his brow. He gave her a sinister smile and backed into the alley, motioning her to follow.

Neo tugged on the gloves and smacked her right fist into her left palm. “Oh, I swear to God, if you make me chase you, I’m gonna _so_ fuck you up worse.”

That actually stopped him in his tracks. “Why would I run from _you_?” he asked her.

“You have no idea who I am, do you?” she asked him. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

“Why would I know who you are?” He asked, pulling a large knife from behind his back. “And more importantly, why would I give a shit?”

“You ever been to Portland?” Neo asked.

“Of course not!” He snapped. “Every demon in the country knows better than go there unless they have a deathwish.”

She stopped a few feet of him and crossed her arms. “You ever wonder why that is?”

“Some crazy ass half-demon bitch and her friends.” He shook his head. “Why am I even talking to you?” He stalked toward her.

“Crazy, I’ll give you but I never knew I was a half-demon. That’s news to me.”

That stopped the Hellion in his tracks. “What did you just say?”

“Name’s Neo.” She grinned widely. “From Portland.”

“Bullshit!” He snapped, sharply.

She did notice, however, that despite his denial, he was slowly backing away from her. “Oh, come on. Surely you’re not afraid of little old me. I’m just a harmless teenage girl,” she said as she started walking toward him. “You’re a big bad demon.”

“Y-you can’t be her,” he said, his voice filling with panic. “She never leaves Portland.”

“Didn’t use to,” Neo said, shaking her head. “But since all you evil motherfuckers are duckin’ me, I decided to take my show on the road.” She again gave him an evil smile. “Lucky for you.”

Stricken with sudden terror, the demon turned to run. He didn’t make it.

She exploded into motion and immediately speared him to the concrete. His knife went flying from his hand. “I told you not to make me chase you.” She gripped his long greasy hair and hefted him from the ground and spun, hurling him face first into the wall.

He collided with a sick _crunch_. She again hoisted him up before turning him around and pressing him against the wall by his throat. His feet dangled several inches off the ground. He tried to pry her hand free but for reasons that he couldn’t understand, his strength wasn’t up to the challenge. He had her by almost a half a foot and at least a hundred pounds…and she was overpowering him.

“I want you to do me a favor,” she said as she drew back and hammered him in the gut. His eyes bulged nearly out of their sockets. Bones crunched as her fist buried itself. “I want you to tell all your friends that I’m in town.” She punched him again. He hacked up blood. “Tell ‘em…tell ‘em I’m really, _really_ bored and that I’m looking for a party.” She drew back and plowed her fist across his jaw. Teeth and blood clattered and splashed against the bricks. “And I plan on using every fucking one of you assholes as my entertainment. Think you can manage that?”

He punched her hard across the face. The girl’s head shot to the side. She quickly looked back at him. A small cut graced her lip. “Fuck.” He growled, knowing he’d screwed up.

“That was pathetic,” Neo responded. She released his throat and gripped his face. She then pulled him forward and smashed his head back against the wall, splitting his skull like a melon. “I’ll just tell your boys myself.”

She ripped his jacket open, exposing his demonic flesh. She then lifted his knife and went to work, carving her warning into his skin:

 

If you don't have what it takes, don't try to play, you'll lose your stakes

Remember this at least; It's the nature of the beast!

 

She then lifted his corpse from the ground, pressed him against the wall and rammed the knife through his skull and into the brick behind him. “Now that’s a message,” she said, dusting her hands off. She turned and made her way back to the car.

“Took you long enough,” Talia said to her.

“I wanted to be thorough,” Neo said, pulling her gloves off. She fired the car up and drove away.

“The rest of the group pulled over and are waiting a few blocks up the road,” Rain said to her. “They wanted to make sure we stayed together but didn’t wanna deny you your fun.”

“Thoughtful of them,” Neo said, nodding. “I’m sure they’ll get the message. Tonight’s gonna be a ball.”

“How brutal did you make it?” Talia asked her.

“Not too bad. At least not for me.” She looked at Talia in the rearview. “I didn’t tear him to pieces if that’s what you’re wondering.”

“That would be what I was getting at, yes,” Talia said.

“Geez, Tal. You make it sound like I don’t have any self-control or anything,” Neo said, deadpan.

Talia stared at her with a raised eyebrow. “Now, where would I possibly get that impression, I wonder?”

Rain just giggled.

Neo snorted but kept her mouth shut.

A few minutes later, the group pulled up to the small single-wide trailer on the northern edge of Scipio. The black four-door Impala sat under the carport. There wasn’t a single unblemished panel on the car, though the right front fender had borne the brunt of the damage. The headlights and grill were gone and all of the glass had been demolished.

The girls all climbed out. Steele, Max, and Quan looked over at the classic Chevy and grimaced. “That’s a damn shame,” Steele said. “Was a nice rig.”

“Still is,” Max said. “As long as the damage is mostly cosmetic. That big 427 is pert-near bulletproof. Just gotta pound out the dents.”

“Come on,” Neo said. “We got a town to save.” As they approached the door to the trailer, it quickly opened.

“God, are you ladies a sight for sore eyes,” Sam said, smiling. “We were beginning to get a bit worried.”

“You know us,” Max said, smiling. “We never pass up a chance to have some fun.” She stopped at the door and waited as everyone entered. “You do remember you gotta invite me in, right?”

“You ain’t gotta worry about that,” Dean said. “Guy who owned this place is dead. But just the same, get your sexy blonde ass in here.”

Max took a step in and smiled as she noticed no resistance. “Nice,” she said, happily.

After Celeste, Talia, and Rain were introduced around, everyone got down to business.

“We ran across these bastards back in Salina, about ten miles south of here on Highway 50,” Dean said. “We were just lookin’ for a place to crash when they showed up. We didn’t want ‘em fuckin’ the town up so we got into the Impala and took a couple of them out to get them to chase us. We didn’t realize how many of them there were. They beat the hell out of us all the way here.” He thumbed toward the side of the house where his car was parked. “We’d have kept going but the Impala gave out. They shredded the tires and tore it up pretty bad.”

“Can you fix it?” Quan asked him.

“Yeah. Just gonna be spendy and time-consuming. You know how it is,” Dean offered.

“We’ve taken out about ten of ‘em so far but there’s a hell of a lot more of them and we don’t really have a hell of a lot of firepower,” Sam said. “We got five shells for Dean’s shotgun and another reload for this.” He held up a .357 Magnum revolver. “Other than that, we’re dry.”

“Don’t worry,” Steele said, rising to her feet. “We come prepared.”

“As did we,” Sadiira said. “We’ll bring in our gear.”

A few minutes and several trips later, the three ladies had all of their firepower laid out.

“Jesus H. Christ,” Dean said, looking at the hardware. “Most of this is government issue.”

Steele and the twins all nodded. “Here. Don’t say I never gave you anything,” Steele said to him.

Dean took the weapon and held it up. “This is a Daewoo.” He put it to his shoulder. “I’ve always wanted one of these.”

“Figured it would get you hot. You can keep it. I don’t use it,” Steele said. “This is more my speed,” she said, patting the M134 Minigun.

Dean smiled and offered his fist. “Nice.” Steele bumped it immediately.

“Is everyone forgetting that there are innocent civilians in this town?” Celeste said, looking around. “If you all just start blasting away with heavy weapons, there are going to be a lot of casualties.”

Steele shook her head. “That’s why all of these guns are loaded with these.” She handed Celeste one of the bullets. “Hollow points. Won’t go through the target, most of the time. Just punch into him and do a fuck ton of damage. Less casualties that way.”

Sam lifted a pump-action shotgun from the assembled arsenal. “This’ll suit me.”

Sadiira lifted two bandoliers. “Double ought buck or slugs?” she asked him.

“Slugs,” Sam said, taking the belt. “Thanks.” She gave him a nod and went back to it.

“How did we wanna handle this?” Dean asked as he loaded the shotgun.

“Well, we have five shooters,” Neo said. “I say we do five two-man teams. One driver, one shooter. Dean, you’re with me. Sam with Talia. Sadiira…Nadiira, whichever one you are,” That earned her a raised eyebrow from both twins. “You’re with Quan. The other one with Shelby.”

“You gonna be able to shoot from the back of a dirt bike?” Shelby asked her.

“I’ll be fine,” Nadiira said, nodding.

“Max and Steele in the big rig.” She looked to Rain and Celeste. “You two ride with them. Safest place for you both.” Both girls nodded.

Steele looked at Rain. “Can you use a gun?”

Rain shrugged. “I’m not the best shot but I can do alright at the range.”

“What have you used before?” Steele asked her.

“I’ve used my dad’s old 30-30 Winchester.” She looked at the boys. “No pun intended.”

The pair grinned at her.

“Gimme a second,” Steele said. She left the trailer and a few minutes later, came back with a long black fabric case. “Here,” she said, unzipping it. “Got it from a vampire I dusted in South Dakota about twenty years ago. It’s a 1902 Winchester.” She offered it to Rain. “Check it out.”

Rain took it and was immediately taken back to her childhood. Mostly, her and her father bow-hunted but every so often, he’d take her hunting with his buddies and they would use rifles. This one was intimately familiar to her. She jacked the lever and lifted it to her shoulder. “It’s just like my dad’s,” she said. “I’m pretty good with it as long as the target isn’t moving.”

“You like it?” Steele asked.

“It’s nice. Good balance, the action is smooth.” She looked at Steele. “This’ll work.”

The elder slayer handed her the case. “It’s yours. Take good care of it.”

“You’re just giving me a hundred-and-ten-year-old rifle?” Rain asked her.

“I don’t use it. It’s just been sitting in my truck for the past twenty years. I don’t think I’ve fired it but five times since I’ve owned it. Might as well go to someone that’ll appreciate it,” she said, smiling.

Rain returned her grin and hugged her. “Thank you. I promise I’ll take good care of it.”

“Alright, Rain. You’re second string. If Steele gets hurt, you take over. Otherwise, I want you keeping your head down,” Neo said to her.

“Maybe I should have stayed behind with Cerri,” Rain said, quietly to Neo.

“Don’t even go there,” the potential said to her. “I need you here. We need you. At the odds we’re looking at, we’re gonna need every pair of swinging tits in the field. That means you. And if nothing else, you’ll be able to keep me from wrecking Talia’s ass when the action is done.”

“I definitely appreciate having someone else on my side when the bedtime escapades get going,” Talia said to the girl. “Believe me.”

Rain smiled and nodded her agreement. She’d been training with all of the girls when time permitted and could hold her own but, she was nowhere near Neo or Shelby’s level. Her natural athleticism would only get her so far. But more than any of that, she couldn’t help but focus on Neo’s words. _“I need you here.”_ And the fact that Talia was likewise glad her have her present was nice.

“Alright. We got our teams. The plan is simple. We’re gonna hunt ‘em down and take ‘em out. Every so often, leave one of ‘em busted up but alive.”

“Why?” Sam asked. “Leaving these guys alive is a bad idea.”

“Yeah but we also wanna send a message. From my read in the landscape, these guys are pretty single-minded. We’re eventually going to want them all in one place at one time. Right now, they’re gonna spread throughout the town. The way I figure it, we can get them together for one final showdown and they’ll take the bait a couple of hours before dawn. We leave ‘em clues telling them that we’re not afraid of them and that we’re wrecking their shit, they’re gonna want payback. So we need to leave them something simple. Someplace open where we can wreck shop on their asses and there won’t be any casualties.”

“What about the church on 100th street and Highway 50?” Steele asked. “It’s pretty open there and it’s easy as shit to find. Leave a few of the boys able to crawl back to their boss with the address carved into ‘em. That should get someone’s attention.”

“There we go. If you find a couple of stragglers, just waste ‘em but if you find a group, leave one with that address cut into him somewhere,” Neo said, nodding. “Good lookin’ out.”

Everyone nodded their agreement. It was a sound a plan as any. “Me and Max are gonna go and grab us some food,” Neo said. “Everyone else stay frosty and get the rigs hidden until show time. My read in the landscape is that these guys don’t like to party during the day. They’re more night owls but that doesn’t mean we’re safe.” She looked to the twins. “You two take first watch. The rest of you get some sleep. We’ll be back in a bit.”

Max climbed behind the wheel of the Pontiac while Neo slid into the passenger seat. “This is a nice rig.” The potential said, checking out the interior. “What happened to that yellow right-hand drive rig you drove?”

“It’s back in Portland,” Max said, pulling away. “Like I’m gonna play fuckin’ Road Warrior in that thing. Fuck that shit.”

Neo chuckled. “I hear you. That’s the reason we bought the Crown Vic’s. Old police cars. They’ve still got some life left in ‘em and they’re durable as hell.”

Max nodded. “Not a bad way to go. Especially for what we’re gonna be doing with ‘em.”

“I’m stoked as fuck,” Neo said, grinning. “Can’t wait until tonight. Then it’s party time.”

“I’m gonna need a pick me up before the festivities get into full swing,” Max said, sadly. “Times like this, I wish I wasn’t a vampire.”

“Don’t know if I ever told you this but…thanks,” Neo said to the vampire.

“For what?” Max asked her.

“For not holding a grudge.”

Max furrowed her brow. “Okay. A grudge about what?”

“When we first met, I decked you,” Neo said. “I’m sorry for that.”

“No you’re not,” Max said, shaking her head. “At least you weren’t when you did it. And I honestly can’t blame you. You didn’t know me then. Didn’t know what I was. Back there and back then a vampire was a vampire. Catch, dust, repeat.” She looked at the girl. “Nothing to be sorry about. I’d have probably done the same thing if I were in your place.”

“Thanks for being so understanding about it.”

Max thought a moment. “What’s the matter with you?”

“What are you talking about?” Neo asked her, confused.

“This. You. Apologizing. That isn’t like you. Normally you’re all about ‘fuck off, this is who I am’. Now you’re…I don’t know. Mellower, somehow.”

Neo knew the girl was right. Over the course of the past couple of months, she’d been a lot calmer, a lot tamer. She still brought the pain to the supernatural when she found it but in her day to day, she wasn’t as hard or as sharp as she used to be. “I guess…I guess I just fell in love.”

Max grinned widely. “Nice, isn’t it?”

“Sometimes,” Neo responded. “Jesus, it is just me or is this place dead as Dickens?”

“Not really surprised. Look at the storefronts and the buildings. Hellions did a number on this place.” Max then pointed. “Look. There’s a restaurant that’s open.”

“Looks like a mom and pop joint,” Neo said.

“Beats nothing,” Max said, pulling into the parking lot. “Let’s grab some food and get home.”

The pair stepped out of the car and went inside. A couple in their mid-fifties was working behind the counter of the small eatery. “Welcome to Mable’s,” the woman said, cheerfully.

“Glad to see you guys open,” Max offered, giving the woman a smile. “I’m guessing you’re Mable’s granddaughter?”

“Daughter, actually. I’m Patty. This is my husband Bobby,” she said, politely.

Neo looked through to the kitchen and saw a large man with tin foil wrapped around his baseball cap manning the grill. “Um…” she said, pointing to him. “He okay to cook?”

“Oh, that’s Joseph. He’s great. A little strange but we don’t hold that against him. Everyone’s a little off, nowadays.”

Neo couldn’t argue with that. “Fair enough.”

“Ever since he got back from the war, he’s been with us,” the elder man said, looking back at him.

“When was that?” Max asked.

“’74. He did three tours in Vietnam and came to work for us. Been here ever since.”

“Right on,” Neo said, nodding. “We’re gonna need a huge amount of food to go. Can you guys do that?”

“We sure can,” Patty said, handing a menu over to her.

Neo took it and raised an eyebrow as Joseph began talking to himself.

“Oh, don’t mind him. He does that all the time,” Bobby said. “It’s when he starts shouting at himself that you have to worry.”

Max and Neo gave each other a look and went about ordering for the group. After dropping over two hundred and fifty dollars on food, and leaving the pair a fifty dollar tip, they were headed back to the trailer. “I hate seeing shit like this,” Max said, looking around. “This town has a hard enough time as it is. They don’t need this kind of bullshit.”

“Don’t worry. All debts are paid at the opera tonight,” Neo said, a sinister glee in her voice.

Max chuckled as she drove. “Nerd.”


	42. Chapter 42

Cerridwen sat with her laptop, her smartphone and her tablet all spread out across Sheryl’s kitchen table. She tapped away at the keyboard, flicking her eyes from one device to another.

Sheryl came in carrying a large cup of coffee and set it down next to the girl. “Not sure how you take it.”

“Black’s fine,” Cerri said, not looking up. “I’ve gotta admit…” She said after a moment. “You have a surprisingly good internet connection. Especially for being as far out into the boonies as we are.” She took a swig off the coffee. “Thanks,” she said, holding the cup up before setting it back to the table.

“So…what is all of this?” The woman asked, looking at the electronics.

Cerri pointed to the cell phone. “Transcripts of the communication between all the girls in the field.” She lifted the tablet. “Real-time satellite feeds from Lim-Sat 18…”

“Wait,” Sheryl said. “Limsat 18? That’s a television broadcasting satellite, isn’t it?”

Cerri grinned widely. “Is that what you think?” She turned to look at the woman. “Why would a TV satellite be fitted with a surveillance camera, I wonder? Big brother is alive and well in just about everything we do, my friend. Don’t let the innocent nature of the technology fool you. The government knows more about you than you ever wanted them to. But today?” She tapped the device. “The man’s paranoia is a good thing.” She set it down and tapped the laptop. “This is the personal camera feeds. I’m currently rerouting them to our server in Point Defiance. I’ve also got the feeds from any traffic cameras.”

“So…you can keep an eye on everything they’re doing?” Sheryl asked.

“Pretty much,” Cerri said. “I’ve been monitoring for the past several hours. Everyone has met up and has a plan of action. I’m just keeping it all straight.”

“You must be pretty smart to keep all this shit organized.” The woman returned.

“Someone has to.” The girl went back to what she was doing.

“Then I’ll leave you to it,” Sheryl said, patting her shoulder. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”

“Will do,” Cerri said, giving her a smile.

           

Neo strapped her body armor on and cinched it tight. Talia gave it a once over and nodded. The Watcher then turned to Rain and made certain she was likewise protected. “There you are.”

The young potential nodded and smiled at her. “Thanks.”

The trio looked about the living room of the sparse single-wide. Everyone, with the exception of Max, was gearing up for the evening. “I thought you didn’t wear armor,” Rain said to Quan.

The big girl shook her head as she patted the protective gear. “I only ditch it when I’m hunting vampires.” She lifted her gloved fists. “Since the religious tats aren’t going to do shit against demon bikers, I’m taking every advantage I can get.”

Rain nodded her agreement. “Makes sense.” She looked at Max. “What about you? Even being a vampire, they can still kill you, can’t they?”

“She does raise an interesting point,” Sam said. “Come to think of it, shouldn’t you be bursting into flames in the sunlight?”

Max shook her head. “I’m immortal and indestructible.” She pulled a stakeout and shoved into her heart. “See?” She then pulled it free. “I’m not your typical vampire.”

“You know what?” Dean said, looking at her. “I’m actually not at all surprised.”

“Gem of Amara,” Max said, smiling.

“I thought that was a myth,” Talia said.

“Nope. It’s as real as it gets,” Max said. She then cupped her crotch. “And guess where I put it?”

“You seriously have the Gem of Amara as a clit piercing?” Rain asked her.

“Yup,” Max said, happily. “Best thing I ever did. Not like anyone’s gonna get at it.”

“Well, if you’re indestructible, why don’t we hang back and let you handle shit?” Dean said, smiling.

“Because compared to everyone else, I can’t fight for shit,” Max said. “I think one on one, I _might_ be a match for Rain here but I’m not banking on it. Girl looks hard as nails.”

“That’s why she’s our wheelman,” Steele said. “I’ve been driving since before any of you were born and she can still outdrive me.”

“That’s saying something,” Dean offered.

“Alright, ladies and gentlemen. Let’s get this party started. Everyone got their gear?” Everybody nodded. “Then let’s do this.” Neo cracked her knuckles. “This burg isn’t gonna save itself.”

Neo slid behind the wheel of her Crown Victoria and Dean took shotgun. “You ready for this, man-slab?” She asked him.

“Hell yeah,” he said, cocking his weapon. “Thanks for comin’ down and helpin’ us out.”

She fired the car up and nodded. “No problem. This is the kind of shit I live for.”

“Yeah, you laid it down at The Boneyard. I thought you crazy as hell for going fisticuffs with vamps, being just a normal girl and all. I didn’t think you were gonna make it.” He chuckled. “Boy was I wrong.”

“We used to deal with shit like that all the time,” Neo said as she pulled away. “In Portland, we used to get strongholds like that. We’d hit ‘em during the day so they wouldn’t have anywhere to run. Most we ever did in a night was sixty-two.”

Dean stared at her, dumbfounded. “You girls took out sixty-two vampires in one day?”

“Yep,” Neo said. “That was fun as shit.”

“Christ,” he said, shaking his head. “No wonder the underworld is afraid of you.”

Neo shrugged. “Personally, I hate having this reputation.”

“You don’t like that demons and monsters are afraid of you?”

“I can’t fuckin’ stand it,” Neo said. “A while back, me and Kat went at it. Full stop. She beat me clean. And you know what?” She shook her head. “Didn’t change nothin’. Not a single thing we’ve run into gives a shit. Everything’s _still_ scared of me.”

“Let’s see what the Hellions think of your rep,” Dean said, smiling.

Talia settled into the other Ford and belted in. She looked to Sam as he held the shotgun in his lap. “You alright?”

“Just nervous,” he said. “Never really got the kick out of this that Dean did.”

Talia nodded. “I can understand that. I’m a Watcher. Normally we just sit amid dusty books and occasionally put our potentials through a rigorous cardio routine and some hand to hand combat exercises.”

Sam smiled at her. “Not so much for field work, huh?”

“Well, most Watchers, no. I was a part of the Council’s Black Ops teams. I did undercover work in Europe. Alice is my first potential.”

“Way to throw you in the deep end,” Sam said.

“You’ve actually worked with her before?” Talia asked as they pulled off.

“In Point Defiance, last summer. Before you and Rain’s time with them, I think,” Sam said to her. “They were really on point and did a great job.”

“Was Alice as…brash then as she is now?”

“Oh, yeah,” Sam said. “Probably more, to be honest with you. She seems I don’t know, calmer now. Not as on edge all the time.”

Talia nodded. Just in the short time that she’d been with the potential, she’d noticed a marked change in the girl. She knew the reasoning, even if Neo didn’t wanna admit it to herself. “She’s so looking forward to this, it’s almost scary.”

“It’s gonna be chaotic, that’s for sure,” Sam offered.

“I think that’s _why_ she’s so excited, truth to tell,” Talia said, chuckling.

“Wouldn’t surprise me,” He returned.

Max fired the giant Peterbilt up and rumbled onto the road as the Fords, the Pontiac and Shelby’s dirt bike raced off ahead of her. She shifted gears and put her foot down. She was always amazed by how much sheer power the rig had. The speed quickly ratcheted up. Celeste and Rain both leaned forward, resting their arms on the back of the seats.

Steele reached up and lifted the microphone for the CB radio. “Hey, boys and girls. How about some music to set the mood?”

“Something classic,” Dean responded.

“Something fitting,” Quan shot back.

“Something hardcore,” Shelby said.

“I got what y’all need,” Steele said. “Gimme a second.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out her Mp3 player and connected it up. She sifted through the songs and grinned. “Here we go. Classic, fitting and hardcore.” She flipped on the PA system. “Ladies and gentleman, this is rock and roll.” She cranked the volume and hit play.

“Oh, _hell yeah_!” Dean said, nodding.

Neo laughed and keyed up. “Nice call, Steele.”

 _The Mob Rules_ by Black Sabbath was as perfect a battle hymn if ever there was. Ronnie James Dio’s gritty screaming vocals tore loudly into the night.

Close the city and tell the people something’s coming to call, indeed.

 

According to plan, Neo and Dean pulled off the main drag first, leaving the convoy behind. Neo raced through the backstreets, keeping her eyes peeled. It didn’t take her long to find what she was looking for. “Time to get on the clock, bud,” she said, pointing to a group of eight bikers. She slid to a stop. “They don’t seem to be paying us any mind. I’m insulted.”

Dean powered the window down and leveled the shotgun. “Let’s get their attention.” He squeezed off a pair of rounds. Both shots impacted the back of a demon skull. His head was immediately turned into a crimson vapor. His body flipped forward to the ground. The remaining seven beasts turned to the car, snarling. “Hey boys. Nice night, isn’t it?”

 Neo climbed out of the car. “Keep me covered, sexy,” she said, rolling her head about on her shoulders. “I wanna have some fun.”

Dean climbed out and sat on the roof of the car. “I gotcha. Go get your whup on.”

Neo sauntered toward the demons, shaking her hands and arms to limber up. The group went at her in a rush. She was more than happy to meet them.

Two had machetes, three carried fire axes, another carried a metal baseball bat wrapped with duct tape and one had a length of chain. She smiled widely. She liked her odds.

Chains went first. The links of steel raced for her skull. She shot her hand out, letting the weapon wrap about her arm. She moved her hand to the side, letting the two machetes spark off metal. Her foot shot in twice in rapid succession. Both of the blade-wielding goons knee caps dislocated and they fell to the asphalt. She turned and yanked on the chain. The demon kept his hold and was ripped off balance. He staggered toward her. She gripped his lapels and turned, using him as a shield. The three axes buried themselves in his spine. He let out a scream. Neo shoved him backward, pulling the chain free of his grip as he tumbled away.

She backed up as she looped the ends of the chain about her hands, leaving a little slack in the middle. Baseball Bat pushed past his chums, going at her. She sidestepped his attack and caught the swinging bat with the slack chain between her fists. She snared it quickly, seizing and immobilizing it. A fast right-left combo smashed into the demon’s face. The right caused his eye to burst, the left shattered his jaw. She then cracked him in the genitals with a boot. He dropped to his knees. She tossed the bat aside and slammed her foot into the side of his head, crushing his skull to the concrete.

Two blasts sounded out, signaling the end of the pair of demons with broken knees. That left only the three axemen. “Five down, three to go, fellas,” Neo said, chain enshrouded fists at the ready. “Come and get me.”

The trio growled and lunged as one. Neo exploded into motion. She swung the chain wildly at their legs. All three of the demons jumped to avoid the obvious attack.

And that was precisely what Neo wanted them to so. Using the momentum of the swing, she rose, letting the chain come back around. This time, with their bodies airborne, none of the demons could do a blessed thing about her newest assault. The chain ripped into every one of them. All of them were smacked from the air to land heavily onto the ground. She descended upon them, brutally stomping them into a paste, save for one. She left one alive, as per their agreed upon plan.

In seconds, it was over. She stepped back, breathing heavily. “Fuck me, that was fun,” she said, shaking her head. She looked at Dean. “Was that good for you?”

He chuckled. “Like most good times, it didn’t last long enough.”

She pulled the knife from her belt and went about carving their grisly message. “Never does,” Neo said, climbing back into the car, racing off, leaving the demons bloody and broken in their wake.

 

Shelby and Nadiira were the next ones to separate from the group. A cluster of a dozen bikers cruised down a side lane, smashing and torching everything they could find. As one, they turned toward her. “Hang onto something,” she said to her passenger. She felt the girl’s arms clutch her tightly. She smiled and revved her bike, lifting the front tire off the ground. She raced toward the demons, ready for action.

At Nadiira’s suggestion, Shelby had soundproofed her helmet. Now she understood why. She could see the massive AA-12 shotgun – the girl’s weapon of choice – in her periphery. Fire belched out of the gun as she depressed the trigger twelve times. The rifle produced something akin to a thunderclap every time it discharged. Each slug blew a demon’s skull to nothing more than a spray of scarlet gore. When she drew down on the final beast, however, she made certain to keep him alive. Her slug blew his leg off, dropping him to the ground. “Wait here,” the gun-mistress said, climbing from the bike. She stepped over and bashed the demon across the face with the butt of her shotgun. “Shut up,” she said to him. She then etched the address of the church into the flesh of his chest. She was soon back on the bike, sliding her knife back into her sheath.

They moved on, looking for other prey. “That was anticlimactic.” Shelby offered to the girl.

“As it should be.” Nadiira grinned. “We haven’t reached the climax, yet.”

“Long way to go before we get there,” Shelby said, happily.

“Exactly.”

 

Quan, like Neo and Shelby before her, peeled off and down a side street. “I bet you money Neo is have the time of her life in this shit,” the big girl said.

“Not surprising,” Sadiira said, checking the action on her AR-14. She clicked on the laser sight and pointed it at her hand to confirm it was functional. “She’s the leader for a reason. She’s the only one of us that actually enjoys this.”

“You saying you don’t?” Quan asked her.

“Not as much as Neo does,” Sadiira said.

“I don’t think anyone can enjoy anything as much as Neo enjoys fighting,” Quan said. “Ooh…lookie what we have here,” she said, smiling. A lone demon was riding along. Quan revved the engine and pushed the pedal down. “Run, motherfucker, run,” she said, laughing.

She was surprised when the demon spun his bike around and began racing toward them. Sadiira rolled the window down and pulled a massive .357 magnum revolver from her hip. She leaned out and pointed it at him. She fired off six shots. The first bullet punched into his head, blowing half of his skull to nothing. The second and third rounds entered his chest, sending red viscera all over the street behind him. The fourth, fifth and sixth shots ripped through the fuel tank of the bike. The motorcycle burst into flames and weaved to and fro before slamming into a parked SUV.

The car suddenly rocked as something collided with them from behind. Quan flicked her eyes to the rearview mirror. A large lifted pickup truck with what looked like a snow-plow roared up and crashed into them again. She immediately shifted gears and floored it. The car picked up speed. “Looks like we got company. Can you take it out?” she asked.

Sadiira shook her head. “Not with that plow on the front of it. I’m loaded for stopping power, not penetration.”

Quan reached up and released the clips that kept the sunroof on and pushed it free. The glass panel flipped up into the wind and smashed down onto the ground in front of the large truck. “Grab the wheel,” she said to the slighter girl.

Sadiira nodded and moved into the driver’s seat as Quan pulled herself up onto the roof. Though she wasn’t quite the wheelman that the huge woman was, Sadiira knew how to drive quite well. She kept the car steady, checking the rearview as the Quan slid down to the trunk lid. Sadiira slowed, letting the truck close with them.

Bringing power from her mystical ink, Quan took a step and leaped, coming down hard on the hood of the truck. She then flipped over the cab and landed in the bed. Three demons watched her and were ready for her. One of them swung a massive sledgehammer at her. The head of the weapon smacked into her palm as she caught it, halting its progress. She tore it free and tossed it aside. She plowed her fist into his jaw. The bone shattered like glass. He flew from the back of the truck, bouncing off a utility pole with a grotesque _crunch_.

The second of the trio went at her with a large knife. The blade came in, looking to take her across the ribs. Quan saw the attack coming a mile away and caught his wrist firmly. She pulled him close and gripped his throat, crushing the life from him immediately. She then hurled him from the vehicle. He impacted the road head first and bounced for twenty feet before slamming into a dumpster. He didn’t rise.

The final occupant of the truck’s bed swung the wood splitting ax about, doing his best to look impressive. As he lifted it to strike, Quan drove her foot into his gut, throwing him back against the cab of the truck, blasting the glass all over the inside of the rig. The metal warped horribly. The ax flipped over and embedded itself in the hood. She then knelt and delivered a full strength punch into his chest. His body burst like a blood-filled sponge. Gore and viscera left his mouth. She gripped his greasy hair and threw him to the side, letting his limp form bounce and skip along the asphalt.

The two demons in the truck were panicked beyond reason. She reached in, took hold of their heads, and yanked them free of the cab. They struggled and fought but neither could match the huge woman’s strength. Quan drew them back and smashed their skulls together repeatedly. Their heads split like eggshells. She threw them each in opposite directions. The truck rolled to a stop. She jumped out and landed easily and walked back to the Pontiac. “Maybe I do enjoy this,” she said, happily.

“You didn’t leave any alive,” Sadiira said to the big woman.

“I figure one of the others will handle that,” Quan said, shrugging. She fired the car up and floored it. “I’ll make sure to leave one of the next ones breathing.”


	43. Chapter 43

Talia swerved away from huge semi and onto the side streets. She kept a careful watch for any of the bikers. She could hear the sounds of warfare resounding through the city. “I hope the people of the town know to keep low.” She offered.

Sam checked the action on the shotgun for the dozenth time. “I’m sure they do. Especially after last night.”

“Was it bad?” Talia asked him.

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “It was _worse_. We were almost taken out several times. We really didn’t get very many before things went south.”

“Well, tonight we’re going to thin their numbers even further,” Talia said, giving him a smile.

“Incoming,” Sam said, pointing in front of them.

Talia nodded and gripped the steering wheel. Her leather-clad hands creaked as her fingers tightened. “Come and get me, boys,” she said, coldly. The bikers, seven in total, revved their bikes and sped up. Talia quickly mashed the gas. The speed of the Ford shot up. “Roll down your window,” she said to Sam. He quickly did so. “Here’s your shot.” She gripped the emergency brake and ripped it as she pulled the steering wheel to the side.

The huge black cruiser flew into a drifting slide. Sam leveled his shotgun and quickly fired seven times. His aim was deadly as each slug blasted a demon from life. Talia continued to crank the wheel, pulling the car three hundred and sixty degrees, letting the bikes and bodies slam into the rear of the automobile. The rig slid to a stop, the engine still rumbling. None of the demons were alive to raise a fuss. She turned to Sam as he put fresh shells into his gun. He returned her look and earned a smile. “And that’s how it’s done,” Talia said, before racing off to find more action.

Sam couldn’t help but chuckle. “Yeah. That about covers it,” he returned coolly.

 

Max shifted gears, letting the huge C-16 unwind. She furrowed her brow as she watched the large MC-9 Passenger bus roll across the street to block their view. Demons leaned out the open windows and stood atop and around the bus. “Well isn’t that wonderful.”

“Gun it,” Steele said, unconcerned.

Max looked at her like she was insane. “That bus outweighs this thing by almost five tons.”

“Yeah, so?” Steele said. “This baby is armored to the fuckin’ nines. Did you not see the huge guard on the front? It’s high-grade carbon steel.” She pointed to the bus. “That bitch is pretty much an aluminum can. This’ll rip right through it. I could plow through an Abrams tank with this bitch. Just floor it. We’ll be fine.” She turned to the girls. “Brace yourselves.” 

“I hope you’re right,” Max said, shifting again. The giant turbo diesel bellowed as more power was fed to the ground. 

Steele reached over and cranked the radio up. “Open up and say ‘Ahh’ mother fuckers,” she said, happily. _Humans Being_ by Van Halen screamed from the PA system.

“Oh, this is gonna hurt,” Max said, pushing herself back against the seat.

The impact was incredible. Max was doing over seventy miles an hour by the time the Peterbilt slammed into the side of the old MC-9 dead center. The bus was torn apart by the collision. Shrapnel was sent flying in every direction. The noise was indescribable. The shriek of tearing metal, the shattering of glass and the screaming of demons that couldn’t escape the beleaguered vehicle fast enough was a symphony of destruction. The rear section of the bus burst into flames as it bounced away into the front of a building.

Celeste and Rain had both braced themselves against the front of the sleeper. Steele lifted her feet and put them on the dash, holding herself in her seat. She was laughing uproariously.

Max closed her eyes, fully expecting debris to come shooting through the windshield. The semi took a hell of a wallop…but it did as Steele had designed it to do. The rig indeed shredded the bus like it was made of tin foil. The heavily reinforced chassis shrugged off the tremendous impact without complaint. The speed dipped to a hair below fifty miles an hour.

“Stop the truck,” Steele said, lifting the massive M134 across her lap. “I wanna check for survivors.”

Max smiled at her. “Have fun.”

“Oh, I planned on it,” Steele said.

The Pete’s tires screamed as Max jammed the brake pedal down. The Jake brake roared, causing all four of the girl’s chests to vibrate. Windows in every building for blocks in all directions rattled violently.

Steele giggled like a giddy schoolgirl. “God, I fuckin’ love that sound,” she said, looking into the rearview mirror. “Oh, look at that. Leftovers.” She unwrapped a large bit of canvas over the barrels of the minigun.

“Be careful,” Rain said, nervously.

Steele looked at her. “I’ll be fine.” She then threw the door open and stepped into the street. A host of demons growled and snarled. Steele grinned widely at them as she moved to the rear of the truck. “Howdy, boys!” She shouted. The demons all roared and rushed toward her, looking to rend her asunder for what she and her undead lover had done to their kindred. She ripped the canvas free. “Say ‘ello to my big ass friend,” she offered in a horrible Tony Montana accent. She depressed the firing stud on the cannon. For half a second, the barrels simply spun, issuing a low whine.

Then death and fire flew from the end of the weapon. Steele laughed maniacally as she moved the gun back and forth. The demons that had made the mistake of approaching were immediately cut down. “I am the instrument of the Gods’ righteous vengeance. If you had not committed great sins, the Gods would not have set a punishment like me upon you!” She shouted as demons were turned into little save a visceral crimson spray.

Some dove behind cars and obstacles. For what little good it did them. The sheer amount of lead being thrown at them was incredible. A few had managed to escape the onslaught but not many.

Finally, Steele released the stud, letting the weapon slow to a stop. “100th and Highway 50, motherfuckers. Four o’clock this morning! You want payback? Come and get some.” She rapped off another salvo before she lifted the weapon and turned back to the truck. “God, I love this job.” She climbed back in and turned the radio down. Max, Celeste, and Rain were all staring at her with raised eyebrows.

“Quoting Genghis Khan?” Rain asked her. She then grinned. “That was pretty badass.”

Max and Celeste turned to look at Rain. “Alright. How could you _possibly_ know who said that?” Celeste asked her.

Rain shrugged. “I’m a nerd.”

Steele offered her fist. “Nice.” The girl bumped it, giggling.

“It did seem rather fitting, to be honest,” Celeste said. “Come on. We’ve got more of these bastards to deal with.”

Max shifted down and pulled away, shaking her head. “Way to make a fucking statement.”

“Go big or go home,” Steele said, happily.

“Yeah. You like to go big, _then_ go home,” Max offered.

“Two birds, one really big fuckin’ stone,” Steele returned.

 

The people of Scipio did their best to stay away from windows and doors. Those that had them hid in their basements. Others took refuge under beds, in closets or in bathtubs with their families.

It sounded as if a war was raging in the streets. Gunfire, explosions, and racing engines erupted into the night. The scent of gasoline, gunsmoke, blood, and death hung like a pall in the air.

One night ago, hell came to the sleepy little Utah town in the form of horrible beasts of men that took what they wished, burned down whatever wasn’t useful to them and slaughtered any who found themselves in the demon’s path. Scipio had become little more than an entertaining holiday of the damned.

Two men in a black car had dared to stand between the devils and the deep blue sea. But their fate, after the sun had risen, was anyone’s guess. The few who saw them fighting believed the pair finished, and those few had begun to mourn.

Many were those that had prayed and pleaded to whatever God they believed in to save them. To combat devils, they needed angels.

Tonight the Gods had answered their prayers. Those who were brave enough to peer out into the night were blessed to see their salvation.

You see, the Bible had it all wrong. Death _had_ come but not upon a pale horse. No, not in the modern world. That would have been too… _predictable_. God, it seemed was not without a sense of humor.

Death instead rode behind the wheel of two black decommissioned Police Interceptors, a Pontiac Le Mans, a Honda Dirt bike, and a massive blue Peterbilt 379. Hell, did not however follow with them.

It was already here.

 

Neo laughed and cranked the wheel. The demon biker roared and screamed as the Crown Vic pushed his ratty motorcycle into the back of a large box van. The bike disintegrated as he hit with a grotesque _crunch_. Blood was spattered all over the back of the rig. She saw another demon racing toward her. “Bring it, motherfucker.”

“What’s to keep him from comin’ through the windshield?” Dean asked her.

“Bullet resistant glass,” She returned. A moment later the bike hit the front of the car. The demon flipped up and hit the glass, flowering it and bouncing off. The Interceptor went up and over the bike, continuing on. “Gotcha, fucker,” she said, smiling.

She made it another two blocks before the car began sputtering and spitting. “Dammit,” the cursed as the Ford finally died. She turned the key, trying to get the car to fire up. Smoke was pouring out from under the hood.

“Motor’s toast,” Dean said. “Probably that bike you just hit. Chances are part of it got shoved through the radiator.”

She looked over at him. “Well, that sucks. Looks like we walk.”

“Looks like,” he said, opening the door. She fell in beside him as they made their way. “Any idea where to go?”

“Well, we’ve been trying to drive them into the center of town. I say we keep heading that way, thinning the numbers as we…” Dean’s shotgun blasted out. “As we go,” she said, undeterred. “Nice shot.”

Dean lowered his gun. “Got ‘im,” he said, jacking a new shell in.

Neo stopped and pushed him back against the wall of a building. He yielded to her senses and lifted his gun, ready for action. She knelt and looked around the corner. She came back and looked at him, holding up five fingers. She then signaled for him to wait a moment.

She stepped out into the alley and gave a sharp whistle. “Hey boys,” she said, waving. “Looking for me?” As she expected, they all turned and surged toward her. She stood fearlessly. She’d been fighting for hours and was sore and tired but she was by no means done yet. She was also having the time of her life.

She met the bruisers head-on, lashing out with hard fists that broke bone with every impact. The body armor she wore kept her from getting seriously hurt but that didn’t mean she didn’t feel it. One of the demons slammed a sledgehammer into her ribs that staggered her and caused her to bounce off the wall. She hacked up blood and snarled at him. Her foot caught him in the side of the leg, causing the joint to dislocate with a wet _pop_.

Dean stepped around the corner, eager to lend a hand. With the demons fully concentrated on the potential, he had his pick of shots. He stepped forward and put the barrel against a skull and depressed the trigger. The demon’s head was nothing but vapor. He took a second shot, taking half of another Hellion’s face off. The beast flew backward, dropping to the ground, never to threaten again.

Neo dipped low, punching a demon in the crotch. He gave out with a shrieking growl. She shot back up, driving her elbow upward into the monster’s chin. He was lifted from the ground and dropped to his back. She shot out with a hard backhand that caught yet another beast across the face. He staggered to the side to take a round from Dean’s shotgun. His head was gone in a heartbeat.

That left the demon with the sledgehammer. He drew back to swing but was just a hair too slow. Neo stepped into the arc of his attack and delivered three hard body blows before stiff-arming him away with both hands. He flew backward and cracked into the wall. Dean put a round through his chest and another into his head.

Neo stepped over and stomped onto the unconscious demon’s skull, twice. His body twitched, then lay still and silent.

She stretched and grunted. “Fuck,” she said, gripping her side. “Fucker broke a rib.”

“You gonna be okay?” Dean asked her.

“I’ll be fine,” she said, motioning him toward the collection of motorcycles the demons had left behind. “Been hit harder by bigger.” She climbed onto an old Kawasaki and kicked it to life.

“That’s a terrifying thought,” Dean said likewise firing up an ancient Yamaha. The pair raced off into the night.

 

Talia threw the car into a sideways slide, taking the corner at nearly a hundred miles an hour. She worked the brake and accelerator in perfect unison. She kept her eye on the rearview mirror as she raced about. She looked at her gauges and sighed. Over the course of the evening, the rig had taken a hell of a pounding. The glass in both rear doors was gone as well as the rear windshield. The taillights had been smashed to oblivion and she was fairly certain the trunk would never open again. But they’d claimed over a dozen demons in the exchange. The car was missing and belching blue smoke as they drove along but the small block Ford refused to surrender. “I’ve got good news and I’ve got bad news,” she said, sharply. “Which would you like first?”

Sam looked at her and turned to look at the demons behind them. “Finish on a good note.”

“We’re almost out of petrol,” Talia said, taking another corner.

“What’s the good news?” he asked her.

“We’re _almost_ out of petrol,” she replied. She grimaced as she looked ahead. “Hold onto something.” She pushed the gas pedal to the floor. The car rocketed forward.

Sam looked and saw a large dirt berm beside a set of train tracks. “Oh, God. Can this piece of crap handle that?” He asked her.

“One way to find out,” Talia said, bracing herself. Sam did likewise.

“Have you noticed that there’s a GODDAMN TRAIN ON THE TRACKS?!” Sam shouted.

“I noticed,” she said, trying to gain more speed. “They’d be insane to follow us, wouldn’t they?” She kept the car straight, despite it wanting desperately to pull to one side. “I suppose now wouldn’t be the best time to mention this…” Talia began. Sam slowly turned toward her. “Despite my proficiency behind the wheel, I’ve never _actually_ done this before.”

“Yes, Talia. Now would indeed _not_ be the best time to mention that,” he said.

The car hit the berm at a hundred and five miles an hour and took flight. The engine screamed as the wheels left the ground. Both Talia and Sam hunkered down in their seats and lowered their heads. The Ford sailed for several yards, missing the top of the rail cars by less than a foot, before coming down hard, digging the front end into the gravel of the service road on the far side of the tracks.

When the car finally came down onto its wheels, it was knocking and sputtering. Talia looked in the rearview mirror and grinned. A few of the bikers had attempted the jump.

None of them made it. She saw the burst of flames as two bikes blew apart. “Nice try, boys.”

She pulled away and headed back for the center of town.

Then the car gave out. She tried desperately to get it started again. She sighed and turned to Sam. “And that’s all she wrote.”

“Wonderful.”

A sharp honk caught their attention. They turned to see Quan pull up in the Pontiac. The rig looked like it had been through a war. The hood was dented to shit and the fenders were mashed nearly unrecognizable. It was obvious that Quan had had to do some maintenance to pull the metal away from the tires. But despite all of that, the engine still sounded in good shape. “You two need a lift?” Quan climbed out and sat in the window.

“We’d appreciate it,” Talia said. Sadiira stepped out and flipped the front seat forward. “We did a spot of train hopping.”

Quan looked back to the Ford as it sat smoking. “I can see that. Pretty impressive jump to be honest. Surprised the car didn’t fly apart.”

“Well, I’ll say this for your American police cruisers. They’re definitely built to last,” Talia mentioned.

“Explains why nearly every police department in the country uses ‘em,” Sam said off hand.

 

Max sped around the corner, laughing. She could tell the bikers were terrified. “That’s right boys. Run for your worthless ass lives.” The demons were trying desperately to outrun the Peterbilt, for all the good it was doing them. They were not expecting speeds like this from such a tremendously large machine.

Steele was leaning back casually in her seat, relaxing. “Looks like they’re going for it.” She pointed to the side. “Looks like Shelby and Nadiira took their toll.” The dirt bike raced along with both girls bouncing in front of the rig. Steele looked at her watch. “It’s about time,” she said, smiling.

“I gotcha,” Max said, nodding. “Time to end this shit.”

“Thank God,” Celeste said, leaning back. “I’m getting bored back here.”

Rain looked at her and shook her head. “I’m not.”

“When you’ve been at this a while, you’ll get more into it, dear,” Celeste offered her.

Rain looked down at the rifle she was carrying. She didn’t necessarily feel comfortable around guns but she understood the need for them. Especially in an environment such as this. These demons weren’t like vampires. They could be killed by firearms. And the fact that they didn’t carry them simply made them stupid.

But she did fear for the day when she was forced to deal with a demon or vampire that understood the great role a firearm could play. A vampire with a shotgun would be a terrifying prospect.

 

Sheryl stood behind Cerri, watching the camera feeds. Neo had just beaten down another demon and carved the church’s address into his bare chest. “Is it wise for them to be sending a message like that? Aren’t they setting themselves up for an ambush?”

Cerri shrugged. “It’s a possibility but I doubt it.”

When the girl didn’t elaborate, Sheryl inquired further. “What makes you say that?”

“These demons are single-minded. They’re driven by the pleasure principle. Enjoy yourself and screw everything else. They don’t have a very complex thought process. Thus, they won’t really consider an ambush. They’ll think about it as a straight up fight. Head to head, no holds barred.” Cerri pointed to Neo and Steele’s cameras. “And that’s where these two excel. Steele’s a brute. Ever since she got her knee fixed, she’s been the ‘wade in and wreck people’s shit’ type. That’s all Neo has _ever_ been about. The supernatural world is actively afraid of Neo. Tonight she’s going to prove why that is.”

“But won’t they be outnumbered?” Sheryl asked. “And out in the open?”

“That’s the point,” Cerri said. “They want all of the remaining demons out in the open. It makes it easier to take them out. That and Neo gets to have her fun.”

“I still find it bizarre that that girl enjoys this shit so damn much.” Sheryl offered, shaking her head. She paused a moment. “You said that monsters, vampires, and demons are actually afraid of Neo?”

“That’s right,” Cerri said, nodding.

“She’s a normal girl, isn’t she?” Sheryl asked, confused.

“So the rulebooks say.”

“What’s that mean?”

“She isn’t a slayer, she isn’t a demon or anything like that. She’s _supposedly_ ,” Cerri made quotation marks in the air, “a regular human girl. But she’s like, _freakshow_ strong, has absolutely zero fear of anything, and is tougher than an Abrams tank.”

“Is she the _only_ one they’re afraid of?”

“To the best of my knowledge,” Cerri returned. “I mean, Steele’s name is thrown around pretty regularly but it isn’t spoken of with the same level of terror that Neo’s is.”

“What makes her so scary?”

“There are a few reasons. One; like I said, she’s physically all out of proportion for what she appears to be. She looks normal but she isn’t. Far, far from it. Two; she’s creative. She spends nights awake thinking about shit to do to the monsters she deals with. And three; she’s as brutal as is possible to be.” Cerri turned and regarded her. “There was a vampire back in the day by the name of Angelus. He was a serious piece of work. He was the kind of vampire that would drive people insane then drain them dry. Very much the cat and mouse mentality; playing with his food. He was all about the evil. He was the kind of vampire that made people afraid of vampires. He’s since reformed. He has a soul and is pulling for the good guys now but he still remembers what he was, what he did. And he sees a lot of himself in _her_.” She again pointed to the screen.

“So you’re saying Neo is what? Evil?” Sheryl asked her.

“Oh, absolutely. Neo has no regard for life or the law. The only thing keeping her from being a psychotic killer is us,” Cerri said, simply. “She fights to defend the very, very few people she’s ever let get close. Anyone else, she really doesn’t give a shit. That’s the reason she’s never been called to be a slayer. The powers that be are too afraid of what she’ll be like when she is tapped, so they refuse to do the honors. I mean Neo has made peace with it, more or less but it still grates on her sometimes.”

Sheryl watched as Neo hefted a large demon and threw him against the brick wall with enough force to cause dust to fall to the ground and shook her head. “Well, if she isn’t a slayer, she definitely wears the uniform.”

“Oh, this is nothing. You should see her when she’s actually trying,” Cerri said, grinning.


	44. Chapter 44

The headlights of Steele’s Peterbilt illuminated the parking lot of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Steele leaned against the side of her rig with her arms crossed. Max and Shelby both stood next to her, talking quietly amongst themselves. Celeste sat upon the hood of the Pontiac with the twins beside her. Talia was joking and laughing with Dean as Sam stood stone-faced against the side of the car, the shotgun held tight in his hands. Rain sat safely in the sleeper of Steele’s truck, peering out at the night.

Quan cast a quick glance at the passenger seat of the semi then turned back to the horizon.

It was nearly ten minutes after four when the rattle of over a score of motorcycle engines approached. The group quieted down and readied their weapons and themselves.

All of the demons pulled to a stop, revving their engines before cutting them. Steele did a quick count and tallied twenty-three beasts total. She couldn’t help but smile. They’d taken out at least two-thirds of the demons that had come to sack the little Utah town. _Not bad for night’s work_ , Steele thought, amused.

The obvious leader of the group, a huge hoss that stood just shy of six and a half feet with metal riveted to the shoulders of his jacket climbed off his bike and stepped forward into the light. He had what appeared to be hooks lining both of his large floppy ears. Scars bisected his face in a criss-cross pattern. His boots crunched on the concrete as he approached.

For several seconds, he and his cronies simply stood, staring at the group. “Y’all got a lotta balls. I’ll give ya that.” He snapped his fingers. A pair of demons stepped forward, their chests bare. “Killin’ a bunch of my boys. Carvin’ up the rest?” He shook his head. “I ain’t cool with that.”

Steele shrugged. “Get used to it.”

“Get used to it,” He repeated. He looked at the gathered group and turned back to the demons. “She said I should get used to it.” They all laughed and jeered. He turned back to her. “You must be dumber than axle grease.” He motioned to the sides. “In case you ain’t noticed, we outnumber you three to one. That hit and run shit you've been doin’ is over and done. You wanted a stand-up fight.” He gave her a sadistic grin. “You got one.”

“Took you long enough,” Steele said. “And believe me hoss, I’ve been looking forward to it all night.”

“Look around, bitch. This ain’t a fight you’re likely to survive.” He locked eyes with every one of them. “Any of you.” 

“Is that what you think?” Steele asked, pushing away from the truck and moving forward. “You said it yourself, Jack. We’ve been greasin’ your boys all fuckin’ night. And we’ve been doin’ it in groups.” She pointed to the rest of them. “What you got here ain’t even enough to give us a workout.”

“We’ll just see about that.” He growled, pulling a large knife from his belt. “I only count ten of you. And you might be able to take a few of us down but the end of the night, you’re all gonna be stains on the asphalt.”

Steele continued to grin widely. “Before we get started, I think there’s someone you need to meet.” She turned to the cab of the truck and nodded.

He had to put his hands over the light from the front of the truck to see. The door of the semi opened and a tall figure with heavy combat boots dropped to the ground. They casually shut the door and began walking…no. Walking wasn’t the right word. This individual was _slinking_ , in much the same fashion as a large jungle cat. Whoever they were, the moved like they owned the streets. That made him curious.

He was forced to do a double take as he noticed that the figure was a girl in her late teens. She was dressed in black cargo pants and tactical body armor. Her muscular arms were bare and she was smudged here and there with dirt. Her hair was a black wavy mass and her eyes…when he got to her eyes, he involuntarily swallowed. He’d never seen eyes like that. He and his brethren were cold and vicious…but what he saw in this girl was just plain out and out _homicidal_. She had the look of one that would show nothing even remotely approaching mercy to anyone. It was obvious the night hadn’t been easy on her. But you wouldn’t know it to look at the amused expression on her young face.

He had had no idea who she was but the murmurs and whispers among his fellow bikers told him that, though he was unfamiliar with her, his men weren’t. “Who the fuck are you?” he asked, trying his best to sound hard.

She continued to move toward him, stepping past her companions. “Who am I?” she asked, her voice silky and filled with humor. She pointed to the rest of his demons. “Why don’t you ask them?”

He turned to look at them. “Well?”

“That’s Neo Knight,” one of them said to him.

He’d heard the name. He slowly turned to regard her. “ _You’re_ Neo Knight?”

“That’s what they say,” Neo offered. “What is it they call you?”

“You can call me Slams,” he returned. The reputation of the girl in front of him was well known. Her brutality was the stuff of legend. He was, however a bit surprised. From what he’d heard, she’d been terrorizing the supernatural community for over half a decade. Yet from the looks of it, she couldn’t have been older than seventeen or eighteen. “Don’t you wear football pads?”

Neo shrugged. “Had to grow up sometime.” She chuckled. “Too bad for you.”

“You were supposed to stick around Portland,” he added nervously.

Everyone, with the exception of Quan and the twins, had never truly been witness to Neo’s reputation and how beasts reacted to it. “This douche really is afraid of her,” Steele said, shaking her head. “That is some serious shit.”

Quan crossed her arms and smiled. “She’s earned it, believe me.”

“It’s just kinda fucked up. I’ve been doin’ this for over thirty-five years and nothin’ I’ve come across is this scared of me,” Steele said. “And I know for a _fact_ I can whup Neo’s ass.”

Sadiira got up and moved up beside the elder slayer. “It isn’t just about how strong she is, or well she fights. It’s about how completely and utterly brutal she is.”

“You didn’t see what she did to the Wendigo we fought in the woods near Shaver Lake,” Talia said. “That’s when we really got to see Neo at her most destructive. Caused poor Rain to boot onto the forest floor.”

Steele wasn’t that surprised. In the grand scheme of things, the kid wasn’t all that tough. It showed some serious spaldings to hang out with a girl like Neo and open her heart to her. At the same time, if she wasn’t careful, she was going to get herself killed.

Neo was completely unaware of the conversation going on behind her. “I _was_ in Portland. But because pussy-ass motherfuckers like you keep ducking me, me and the rest of the band had to go out on the road. Believe me, ass-hat I am _not_ happy about that. I like Portland. I hate having to chase you motherfuckers. And now that I found you? Well, let’s just see you’re all gonna learn exactly why motherfuckers are afraid of me.” She pointed to him. “Starting with you.”

“Look,” he began. “We’ll just pack up and blow. We’ve played this scene anyway.”

Neo gave him a smile so cold and so malicious that a chill literally ran down his spine. “Oh, I think we’re past that, don’t you?” She asked him. “But tell you what? I’ll make you a deal. You and me, one on one. No outside interference. You kill me, you and your boys are free to go. You can leave this burg to continue raping and pillaging and doing your thing. And you’ll also get the bragging rights. I kill you? The ladies and gentlemen behind me are gonna mow your boys down and torch your bodies. Be able to see the flames from space.”

Slams bit his lip nervously. What he saw in front of him didn’t really impress him. She was tall for a girl, standing at a couple inches below six feet but he put her at about a buck sixty. He, himself was just shy of three bills. And he stood a good half foot taller. He’d been leading this group of Hellions for over two decades. In that time, he’d been through some serious shit. He was fairly confident he could take the girl in a straight up fight. The problem he had, however, was how confident _she_ seemed. To her way of thinking, he was already dead, he just didn’t know it yet. That made him wonder what about her was so special. He just had to know. “What makes you think you can take me, kid? I’m like, two of you.”

“I know,” Neo said, grinning. “That’s just gonna make it interesting. And just in case you get any bright fuckin’ ideas and have your boys jump in…” She turned to Steele and nodded. The big slayer moved to the driver’s side of the semi and pulled out the minigun. She stepped back into the light and stood at ease. Neo looked back to the demon. “At three thousand rounds per minute, _that_ motherfucker will turn all _you_ motherfuckers into chunky salsa in about thirty seconds flat.”

Slams was scared, now. Something he’d never felt before in his life. “What’s to keep her from cutting us down after I kill you?”

Neo laughed. “Optimistic fucker, aren’t you? If somehow, you take me out, you have my word that you and your men will have safe passage.” She turned to her companions. “Agreed?” she asked. Everyone returned her gaze but no one spoke up. “I’m not kidding. This asshole takes me out, you let him and his boys walk.” She paused. “I can’t fuckin’ hear you.”

Steele sighed. “They get a twenty-four-hour headstart,” she said to the potential. “That’s the best I’m willing to do.”

Neo grinned. “I never said anything about tomorrow.” She turned back to Slams. “There you have it. One night of free passage. But you got to roll over me to get it.”

He rolled his head about on his neck. “You got it.”

“Ditch the pigsticker, hoss. No weapons. Mano e mano.” She clenched her fists, causing her knuckles to crack. “I wanna savor this shit.”

“Can she really do this?” Sam asked Quan. “He’s pretty damn big. Can she really take him out?”

“That isn’t the question,” Quan said, shaking her head. “The real question is how long she’s gonna toy with him before she kills him.”

Sam raised an eyebrow at her. He hadn’t really had the chance to see Neo handle herself in person. He just knew what was said of her. Even Bobby knew who she was. When Sam asked him about her, he only said one thing, and it had stuck with Sam ever since. “She ain’t afraid of shit. She ain’t afraid of getting hurt, she ain’t afraid of getting killed. Someone like that? Worst kind of person to have in your face, best kind of person to have at your back.”

He had seen firsthand what lengths Neo would go to for the people she cared for. Now, he was getting to see what she did to those that threatened her friends and loved ones.

Neo pulled her hair back into a ponytail. She then rolled her head about on her neck and shrugged her shoulders to loosen up. “Bring it, fuck-stick.”

Slams tossed the knife aside. He then growled and rushed her, looking to bowl her over with his greater mass.   Neo met him head on without any fear. His arms stretched out to grab her around the waist. She brought both hands up, pushing his arms out wide. She lowered her center of gravity then drove her shoulder into his abdomen. Her arms wrapped about his legs and she rose to her full height, throwing him up and over her. He flipped and slammed to the concrete on his back. The air was blasted from his lungs. He’d grossly underestimated how strong the girl was.

Neo danced out of the way and turned, looking down at him. “That was just fuckin’ sad. You are seriously gonna have to do a lot better than that if-,” She heard the crack of a rifle. She looked to the source of the noise and saw Rain sitting on the door with the 30-30 up to her shoulder, having drawn a bead. Neo turned about to see a demon lying on his back with a hole in his forehead where his life had been. A knife lay on the ground a few inches from his fingers, looking as though he’d been ready to throw it. All of his fellows were looking at him with wide eyes. “Seriously?” Neo asked, looking at the rest of her group. “No one else saw that?” Most of them had the good nature to look sheepish. She looked to Rain and smiled, giving her thumbs up. “Good lookin’ out.” The girl grinned back.

Slams rolled over and climbed to his feet. “What the hell are you?” he asked, surprised. Neo shot in with a hard right cross. His face was rocked to the side, staggering him. Another fist crashed into his other cheek. A third blow impacted his stomach. As he doubled over, Neo’s elbow cracked into his chin, sending him stumbling back. He had grotesquely underestimated her. At first, he had thought her reputation holy undeserved. Tales inflated by the weaker demons and beasts of the underworld. He was fast learning that she had earned every blessed bit of her rep.

“I’m just the cook,” she said, smiling. Slams recovered quickly and launched a brutal haymaker. His fist smacked into Neo’s palm. “Jesus, you telegraph like mad.” She was caught by surprise as his other fist hooked in, drilling her in her cheek. She saw flashes of light behind her eyes. She was thrown backward but managed, through sheer determination to keep her feet. _Jesus, this son of a bitch can hit_ , she thought to herself.

“Looks like you didn’t see that one coming,” he said, chuckling. He shot out another quick jab that impacted her chin, snapping her head back and throwing her to her back.

Neo, however, was no stranger to taking lumps. It wasn’t the first time she’d been knocked on her ass and she knew it wouldn’t be the last. She fell and rolled backward, coming back to her feet. She dragged the back of her hand across her lips, wiping away the blood. She then spat a gobbet onto the stone. “Not too shabby, Hoss. And here I thought you were gonna go down like a bitch,” she said, grinning and nodding. “But you wanna be the one that’s gonna take me down, you’re gonna have to do _a lot_ better than that.”

“Oh, I planned on it.” He waded in again, his fists flying.

Neo slapped a good portion of them aside, returning a few blows of her own. She became overconfident…and paid the price for it. His enormous fist slammed into her jaw, sending her reeling to the side. He didn’t give her a moment’s reprieve and hit her again. Still, she managed to keep her feet. He drove his foot down onto her right knee, causing the joint to dislocate with a _pop_. Finally, Neo went down. She stifled an agonized cry. She lay on her back, clutching her knee.

Slams let out a laugh. “Not so tough now, are you bitch?” he mocked.

“Oh, God,” Rain said fearfully cupping her hands to her mouth. She’d never, _ever_ seen Neo drop like that before. Talia seemed to mimic her terror.

Quan sighed. “Now he really fucked up,” she said, shaking her head.

“How do you figure?” Dean asked. “Her damn leg’s broke.”

Sadiira snorted derisively. “Yeah. That’ll stop her.” Everyone looked at the three band members with raised eyebrows. “Look.”

Everyone turned and watched on as Neo gripped her ankle and bent her knee backward until a grotesque _thock_ sounded out. Slams was absolutely shocked. Neo kicked up to her feet and stared at him with bloodied lips. “That all you got, George?”

 _Yeah, that’s about it_ , he thought quickly. “No way,” he said aloud, shaking his head. “No fucking way. That’s not…that’s _impossible_. Humans can’t do that.”

“Shows what you know,” Neo said. She went at him, hard. It was obvious that he could barely eke her out on physical strength but she was significantly faster and had quite a bit more training. He was a fairly accomplished brawler. It showed in the fact that he was able to land a few well-placed strikes. He knew that he was breaking bones with his hits. Neo’s face was a mass of bruises and cuts. But he was very, very disheartened that she never stopped smiling. His train of thought, however, was cut off as she put a boot to his crotch. He gave out with a squealing grunt. He stumbled back, clutching at his bruised genitals. Neo gripped his long greasy hair and brought his head down while thrusting her knee up. His nose broke with a wet _crunch_. Blood sprayed onto the ground. He was having trouble seeing. But Neo was far from finished. As he stood bent over, she leaned over his back, wrapping her arms about his waist. She then lifted him from the ground, before driving him down onto the pavement on his neck and shoulders.

“Holy shit,” Dean said, chuckling. “Did she seriously just powerbomb a demon?”

“Yes she did,” Talia said.

“She does that,” Quan added. “She’ll probably suplex him at some point, I’m sure.”

Slams got to his hands and knees and shook his head to clear the cobwebs. His arms and legs were tingling from the impact. How she managed to get his bulk up with no effort was beyond him. _She can’t be human. She_ can’t _be._ He thought to himself. Neo dropped an elbow across his back, slamming him back down onto the street. He knew as he lay there that he’d lost. His body was on fire from the pounding he’d been taking. The girl was obviously the real deal. He’d laid into her with everything he had. What he’d done to her would have killed most demons but still, she fought…and still she smiled. To him, it was a fight for survival. To her, it was just a game; a night’s entertainment.

Neo didn’t know what he was thinking and frankly, she didn’t care. She was too busy being who – _what_ ­– she was. What she’d always been. She grabbed his arm and pulled it behind his back. “Say uncle, motherfucker.” She then heaved, dislocating his shoulder with a _pop_. He growled and grunted. She planted her knee into his back and twisted the joint, causing him to cry out in agony. “I wonder if I can get _Smoke on the Water_.” She torqued and tugged his arm. The joint ground and crunched as she did so. The pain was indescribable. The demon was screaming piteously. Neo was laughing uproariously.

Everyone, with the exception of Quan and the twins, was grimacing at the grisly sight. “Jesus, that’s fucked up,” Dean said. “I’m all about beatin’ someone’s ass but that’s just…”

“That’s just Neo,” Quan said, unperturbed. “This is the reason shit’s afraid of her and not us.”

“We end it quickly,” Steele said. “Neo doesn’t.”

Neo released his arm, letting it flop uselessly to the ground. She then repeated the process with the other. “Squeal, boy,” she said as she continued to laugh at the demon’s pain.

The rest of the demons stared on helplessly. Many mumbled and muttered about rushing her to kill her. But one glance to the other side of the parking lot and the amount of firepower pointed their way stayed them. Many brothers had fallen in the night thanks to the group across the way. So they could do nothing but look on as their leader was veritably torn apart by the terrifying teenage girl.

With both of his arms useless, she grabbed his hair and lifted him from the ground. He was barely conscious from the pain. She stared into his eyes. “You know what the saddest part of this is? I’ve been fighting all fuckin’ night. I’ve got lord knows how many broken ribs, and who knows how many bruised bones. And I’m _still_ whuppin’ your ass.”

“You…you aren’t human,” Slams voiced what he, what all of his demons were now thinking. “You can’t be.”

“Who knows?” Neo pulled him closer. “Maybe you’re right.” She turned and drove his face down into the asphalt with enough force to split his skull. “Too bad you’ll never know.”

Slams lay still upon the concrete, breathing raggedly. She lifted her foot and brought it down on the back of his head again and again. Only when his head was nothing but a crimson mess, did she stop.

The Hellions stared in horror. They looked at his ruined corpse then back to the devilish woman. She sat for a moment, crouched over the viscera of the demonic leader and slowly lifted her eyes to the remaining demons. She grinned like a skull at them. “Now I have become death, the destroyer of worlds.” She rose to her feet and held her arms out wide. “You can die fighting or you can die running. Your choice.” The demons looked at each other, then surged forward. Neo continued to smile. “Thank God.”

“Fuck,” Steele said, turning and tossing her massive minigun to Nadiira. The woman dropped her shotgun and caught the cannon without strain. “Keep us covered.” The girl nodded. She then slapped Quan on the stomach lightly. “Time to get physical.”

Quan quickly brought several of her tattoos to life. “Bout fuckin’ time.”

Max, Shelby, Quan, and Steele raced across the parking lot, rushing past Neo as the demons came at them.

Neo fell in step beside them.

Rain watched in fear. She looked down from her perch on the truck’s door. Talia and Celeste simply leaned against the front of the rig with their arms crossed, looking completely unconcerned. She wanted desperately to help but knew she would just get in the way. Despite training every moment, she knew she wasn’t to any of the girl’s caliber. Yes, she could probably fight as well as Max but the vampire had the advantage of supernatural strength and complete invincibility. She suddenly smiled. She slid back into the truck, doing the one thing she knew would be appreciated.

She sifted through her Mp3 player and settled on one track that she knew all of the girls would be keen to. Months ago, as a gift for Faith’s birthday, Neo, Doro, Max, and Udo had all pooled their powerful voices and did a thunderously hardcore cover of _Across the Nation_ , originally by Union Underground. She absolutely loved the song and knew the girls would as well. It was perfect for the situation.

Dean smiled and turned to Rain as the music screamed from the truck’s PA system. “Nice.”

All of the girls engaging the demons nodded. “I can seriously get used to this,” Steele said, happily. A pair of demons rushed her, panicked. She shot forward and clutched their heads in her hands and lifted them from the ground. She crushed their skulls like overripe oranges, squeezing brain and blood out of their ears, eyes, noses, and mouths. She dropped them lifelessly to the ground and grabbed another by the arm as he tried stabbing her with a knife. She tore the knife from his hand and drove it down into his skull. She then swung him like a club, bashing down other demons with him.

Shelby spun, taking a demon across the face with a reverse spin kick. She continued her momentum, dropping into a crouch. The beast hit the dirt, hard. She gripped his head and gave a sharp twist, snapping his neck. His body fell limp. She shoulder rolled forward as a demon came down with a fire ax. She delivered a hard punch to his genitals, causing him to drop the weapon. She took it up and spun, embedding the implement into the side of his head. He staggered a moment, then fell to the asphalt. She wrenched the ax free and turned to find yet another target.

Max waltzed into the group without a care in the world. It was obvious that these demons knew absolutely nothing about her. A rusted machete impaled her through the chest. She looked at the demon with a raised eyebrow. “Oh no. You have stabbed me. Whatever will I do?” She quickly punched him in the throat. He stepped back from her, his hands flying to his crushed trachea. “Yeah. Punching you in the windpipe seems appropriate.” She ripped the brush knife free of her torso. She then buried it in his dome. “Whoo. You know he dead,” she offered in a bad Chris Tucker impression. She moved on, hacking at demons with the machete like she was scything wheatgrass. Some came at her, stabbing her with knives, clubbing her with baseball bats. One even struck her in the head with an ax – the most grievous injury she’d suffered to date – it did little but stagger her.

She stumbled around a moment, her head cloven in twain. The demon laughed. “Finally managed to kill you.” He growled confidently. Max gripped the ax and with considerable effort, pulled it loose. She couldn’t help but enjoy the demon’s fear as her head flowed back together like a jacket zipping up. “You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me!”

Max grinned at him. “Princes of the Universe, motherfucker,” she said before cracking him across the face with the ax. He went down with the look of shock still on his mug.

Quan was a brutal engine of destruction. She punched and kicked demons aside with little effort. Her size and magical strength were well beyond what they expected. She took hold of the forks of one of the motorcycles and swung it, taking down several monsters at once. Bones crunched and bodies were pulped as she hammered them into the concrete. To her, these beasts were little more than cockroaches needing stepping on.

Every so often, gunshots would ring out as the four shooters carefully picked their shots.

It was a rout. The more physical of the hunters made short work of those that tried to engage them. They took their lumps but they horribly outmatched their opponents, despite their advantage of numbers.

And the deadly skill of the shooters evened the odds even further.

The sun began cresting the eastern horizon, shining its golden light onto the blood-soaked parking lot.

Neo, Quan, Steele, Max, and Shelby stood, blood dripping from them – some of it theirs, most of it not – staring at what they had done.

Dean, Sam, Sadiira, and Nadiira moved through the demon horde, putting bullets into those that were still alive.

Talia, Celeste, and Rain approached the girls. “It’s finally over.” Celeste offered.

Neo looked around and sighed. “Yeah. Too bad. I was having fun.”

“There’s something seriously wrong with you.” The Watcher said to her.

Talia and Rain both embraced the brutal potential. “And we wouldn’t have it any other way,” Rain said, softly.          


	45. Chapter 45

“I don’t know about you all but I’m tired as shit,” Dean said, wiping his brow.

“We should probably get out of here,” Sam said, looking at the huge collection of bloody remains. “I don’t see the people of this town being too happy with us for leaving a mess like this.”

Neo, Rain, Talia, and Quan climbed into the Pontiac, while Steele, Max, Shelby, Celeste, the twins and the brothers Winchester piled into the Pete. They pulled away from the church, headed back to the trailer. All of them were tired and ready for some much-needed rest.

They made it a full two blocks before they were stopped by a large group of townsfolk that had stepped into the street. The Pontiac rolled to a stop with the Peterbilt growling to a halt behind them. “Oh, shit,” Steele said, getting ready to step out from behind the wheel.

Talia climbed out and turned to her, holding up a hand. “I’ve got this.” She shouted before returning to the residents of the small rural community.

She approached cautiously. “Good morning,” she said, nervously. “Um, is there something I can do for you lot?” She asked, doing her level best to sound unassuming.

“You ladies and gentlemen have had a rough night.” A man in his late forties offered. “We um…” He looked at the rest of the people gathered. “We heard you were all staying at Ernie’s trailer up north.”

Talia gave him a nod. “We’ll only be in town for another day, maybe two. Just to lick our wounds, then we’ll be out of your hair,” she said, trying to reassure everyone.

“Old Ernie’s place is a shit-shack.” The man said to her. “He never was much of one for maintainin’ what he had. Place probably smells like cat piss, B.O. and engine grease.” He rubbed the back of his head as he continued on. “You see, I’m Aiden Jackson. I own the Scipio Hotel up on 300th. If you all wanted a place that’s a bit more comfortable, I got plenty of rooms. And, and you can stay as long as you want, no charge.”

Talia brightened up but tried not to get her hopes up. She knew that some people made such offers simply to be polite, so she offered him an out. “We can’t ask you to do that. You’ve a business to run. We can’t impose on you like that.”

“Hey, after everything you all done for this town, it’s the least we can do,” Aiden said. “That’s my little Ranger right there. If you lot wanna follow me, I’ll take you to it.”

“I’ll call and have an ambulance with EMT’s meet you all at the hotel and help patch you all up.” A woman in the group said to her.

Talia gave everyone a happy smile, getting several in return. “I don’t know what to say. Thank you so much. We would really appreciate it.” After the brief conversation, she nodded and stepped back into the car and pointed to a small pickup. “He’s the owner of the Scipio Hotel. He said that we’re supposed to follow him. He’s going to let us stay at the hotel for free. An ambulance is going to be dispatched to patch everyone up and make sure we’re alright.”

Neo nodded and lifted the mic for the CB, letting the rest of the group in the semi know what was happening.

             

Sam and Dean were given their own room, as were Steele, Max, Shelby, and Celeste. The twins took a separate room as well, as did Neo, Talia, and Rain. Quan was the only one who was alone.

As the paramedics made their rounds, a group of girls from the Subway near the hotel came around handing out sandwiches packed with veggies, meat, and cheese.

Neo, having obviously borne the brunt of the physicality over the course of the evening – and upon her own insistence – was the last to be checked out by the EMT’s. The medic, a cheerful man by the name of Russell, took a good amount of time looking her over. “You’ve got eleven broken ribs from what I can see here. They’re just gonna pull like hell and make it uncomfortable for you but it ain’t life-threatening. You’ll have to be careful to not take any shots to the chest for a while.” Her torso was nothing but a mass of purple, black, blue, and yellow. “But you don’t seem to have any internal bleeding or organ damage.” He looked her in the eye. “Just.”

“Ain’t the first time I’ve been a human heavy bag,” Neo said as she sat on the edge of the bed. “Won’t be the last either, I’m sure.”

“I am worried as shit about this knee, though,” he said, palpating around the swollen joint. “How’d it happen, again?”

“Fucker stomped on my leg. Knee bent backward. I had to relocate it before I could stand up. Didn’t really hurt much at the time but now it’s kickin’ my ass.”

“Adrenaline would be my guess,” the EMT said. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you tore some ligaments. I strongly suggest you go to the hospital in Gunnison to get checked out.”

Neo shook her head. “No. Just wrap my leg up. I’ll be fine in a few days.”

The medic stared at her. “Not from a torn ACL or PCL, you won’t. You don’t get that shit corrected and you’ll never walk the same again. Your leg strength will be shot.”

“I’ve hurt my leg before,” Neo said.

“Alice, you need to-,” Talia began, concern in her voice.

“I said wrap the fucker up,” she snapped, looking at all of them. Rain, with tears in her eyes, left the room, slamming the door behind her. “Shit,” Neo said, sadly. “Tal, go after her.”

The woman nodded and left the room as well.

The paramedic kept his mouth shut and did as Neo asked. She watched him a moment, then sighed. “Go ahead and say it.”

He shrugged. “I already told you what I think you should do. The choice is yours.”

“Is it really that bad?” Neo asked him. “Not to blow my own horn but I have dislocated my knee before. It’s healed every time so far.”

“I think you’ve just been really lucky.” He removed the bandages. “It’s this swelling, right here that has me worried. It’s turning black back here.” He looked up at her. “Has it ever done that before?”

“I don’t know. I normally just ice it up and wrap it really tightly for a couple of days. It’s usually fine after that.”

“No pain, no limping, nothing like that?” he asked her.

“Not usually. I mean my knees both hurt from time to time but I figure that’s just par for the course for the life I live. Shit I do, I’m bound to be sore.”

“Then yeah, you’ve been really lucky,” The EMT offered her.

The door suddenly slammed open. Steele, flanked by both Talia and Rain entered the room. “What’s this shit I hear about you needing to go to the hospital and refusing to?” Steele asked her.

“Slams fucked my knee up. Doc here says I might need surgery. I really don’t think I do,” Neo said.

“Tough shit,” Steele said, moving over and looming over her arms akimbo. “Get your shit together. You’re going.”

Neo gave her a hard look. “Look. I don’t-,”

The elder slayer cut her off. “First off, don’t give me that thousand-yard stare shit, kid. I’m probably the only fuckin’ person on the planet that isn’t even remotely intimidated by you. I don’t give two shits how badass you think you are, I _will_ mop the floor with you.”

Neo wasn’t afraid of Steele. She wasn’t really afraid of anybody. But she also knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt that the big woman was right.

Steele knelt down and looked up at her, softening her expression. “You need to go and get this taken care of, kiddo.” She patted Neo’s knee, causing her to hiss in pain. “You owe it to the rest of the band and you owe it to your ladies to get your shit together. You may be tough as nails and harder than iron but you’re still human. You don’t have the slayer healing to get you back up to speed. And you don’t wanna fuck around with knee injuries, kid. Believe me,” she said to the young fighter. “I know from experience.”

Neo stared at the elder woman. “I’m not really as much of a badass as I think I am, am I?”

“Deep, _deep_ down in a part of your heart and soul, those parts of you that everyone has and everyone hates looking at, I think you already know the answer to that,” Steele offered softly.

At that moment, Neo knew where she really fell in the grand scheme of things. The truth of the matter was that yes, she was a very strong and tenacious fighter. The supernatural community was right to be afraid of her. She had a ferocity and brutality that none of the current slayers, not _one_ possessed, and the underworld knew it. But she’d never gone toe to toe with a slayer that had wanted her _dead_. Every time she’d fought Buffy, it was always Buffy that held back. Neo never did but when she looked back now, she realized that she went all out…and all Buffy did was shrug off her best without a whole lot of effort. The sad truth was, if Buffy, Faith or Alexia wanted her ass in the ground, if they truly wanted to _end_ her, then all of the potential and training in the world wouldn’t be able to save her. The fact didn’t make her fearful…it just made her angry. And that was what she used to fuel her fight. Being a slayer was something she’d been training her whole life to be. The powers that be had decided that she wasn’t the one. So she stole the choice from their hands and became a slayer in spirit if not in the flesh. According to the Primal Slayer, she met in the dream, she was recognized as a sister, whether the powers wanted her to be or not. But she still lacked the one thing that all slayers had; the _power_. And Steele pulled no punches. It was one of the things about the woman that Neo actually liked. With Steele, you always knew where you stood, no matter what. “Alright.” She looked to the EMT. “Looks like we’re going to the hospital.”

Rain and Talia were beside themselves with joy. The ambulance took the trio the short distance to Gunnison Valley Hospital.

Steele let Quan and the twins know what was happening and assured them that it was nothing life-threatening.

After a battery of tests and procedures, morning found Neo laying calmly in the hospital bed with both Talia and Rain sitting near her. The three of them were chatting and watching TV. Finally, her Doctor, a rather charming black woman by the name of Vivian Hartwell came into the room. “Good morning, Alice,” she said, politely.

Neo turned off the television and looked at her. “What’s up Doc?” She asked, trying really hard to keep from smiling.

“Wow, I’ve never heard that one before,” Vivian said, deadpan.

“Couldn’t resist,” Neo said.

“Oh, you could have,” Talia said. “You just chose not to.”

Neo chuckled as Rain giggled. “Guilty.” She turned back to the Doctor. “So how bad is it?”

“I’m surprised it isn’t worse,” Vivian said. She sighed and looked the girl over. “I’m not sure how to put this lightly…”

“Out with it, Doc. I’m on the clock,” Neo said to her. She hated people that beat around the bush.

“Your joints, bones, ligaments, and tendons are at the level of a sixty-year-old professional wrestler,” Vivian said, point blank. “You’ve got the beginnings of osteoarthritis in nearly every joint in your body. You’ve got calcium deposits in your shoulders, elbows, knees, and ankles. You’ve got scar tissue buildup in both knees and elbows. It’s the worst in your left elbow and right knee. You’ve got bone spurs in your neck, right shoulder, three ribs on your left side and two on your right and throughout both hands. You’ve also got scar tissue buildup on your left lung and slight swelling of the heart but the swelling is reducing.”

As the three of them listened to her, their hearts all sank. “What um…” Neo started to ask. She had to swallow to finish. “What does all that mean?”

Vivian stared into her eyes. “Surgery can repair a lot of the damage and give you a fairly healthy life.”

“There’s a _but_ in there somewhere, Doc,” Neo said.

“Your days of fighting are pretty much over,” Vivian said. She knew it wasn’t what Neo wanted to hear but she was obligated to tell the girl the truth. Talia and Rain both gasped sharply. “You have to understand something, Alice. You’re still a young girl. What we see in your tests is something we only see in professional fighters that have been trading blows and pushing themselves for decades. You are legitimately pushing your body – something that isn’t even done maturing yet – to do things that are beyond human endurance. How you’ve managed to keep going and not collapse from pain and agony is completely and utterly beyond me. If I had your body, I’d be screaming bloody murder. Your pain threshold has to be the stuff of legend for you to last this long.”

“I’m tougher than I look,” Neo said, flatly.

Vivian shook her head. “That’s just it. No, you’re not. You just think you are. And you ignore your body when it tries telling you otherwise. Marines like to say that pain is weakness leaving the body. That isn’t true at all. Pain is your body tearing itself apart. Yes, I can tell that you heal fairly quickly. Quicker than just about anyone else I’ve ever seen, truth be told. But you aren’t Wolverine. The injuries you’ve sustained over your life have caught up with you.” Neo stared at her, willing her to be wrong. But she knew the truth. “I’m gonna level with you, kiddo.” The Doctor said as she sat on the edge of the bed. “You should be dead. All the punishment you’ve taken, all the strain you’ve put on your body…I don’t know how you survived.”

Talia lifted a hand. “I’ve got a question.” Everyone turned to look at her. “Not long ago, Alice took part in a sanctioned cage fight for charity. Afterward, she was taken to the hospital. The doctors there never said anything about any of this. If things are as bad as you say, why wasn’t she informed back then?”

Neo nodded and looked at the doctor. “That’s a good point. I was pretty fucked up then.”

“That’s why,” Vivian offered. “At that point, they were too busy treating your current injuries to spend much time looking you over more thoroughly. In a cursory exam, a lot can get missed. Emergency room doctors, which was what I’m assuming you were seen by, wouldn’t even know to look anywhere else beyond what the patient tells them about. Chances are, you weren’t exactly forthcoming with information at that point.” She shook her head. “I did a complete workup because I’m through that way.” Vivian looked to Talia and Rain. “Could you two give us the room, please?”

They both met Neo’s eyes. She gave them a nod. The pair left without a word. Neo waited for them to go and turned back to Vivian. “I can’t be done,” Neo said to her, her voice cracking with emotion. “I just can’t be, Doc.” She began tearing up.

“Your body-,” Vivian began but Neo cut her off.

“You don’t understand, Viv. This is all I’ve got. It’s all I know. There’s gotta be something you can do to get me back up to fighting weight.”

Vivian sighed heavily. She bit her lip. “We can,” she said, finally. “But the kind of surgery you’re talking about is…” She rubbed her face in her hands. “Your joints are hammered. Your shoulders will heal fully with time. Your right elbow just needs, for all intents and purposes, a little maintenance. Minor ligament repairs and that’s about it. But your left elbow and your knees, you’re talking complete joint replacement. We can remove the calcium deposits and remove the scar tissues throughout.”

“Do it,” Neo said, matter-of-fact.

“Hold on, Alice,” Vivian said. “All of that is gonna be pushing tens of thousands of dollars and we’re talking multiple surgeries. And even if it all goes smoothly, you’re looking at months, possibly a year or more of physical therapy to get you back up to par. And then, _even_ if you get there, there’s no guarantee you’re going to be what you once were. There is no hard and fast promise that you’ll ever be the same again.”

“But I’ll be able to fight again, right?” Neo asked, undeterred.

Vivian sighed as she looked her over. She then gave her a slow nod. She realized that nothing would keep the girl from the field. And that made her very, very sad.

 

Talia and Rain left the room and stepped out into the hallway. The Watcher fell against the wall and slid down to the floor. She buried her face in her hands and silently began weeping. Rain moved over and sat beside her, wrapping her arms about the woman. For several moments, the pair simply sat, embracing one another. “It can’t end like this.” Talia finally said. “It…it just can’t.”

Rain was just as fearful as the other woman. “I don’t know what we can do,” she said, at a loss. “I don’t see how…” She stopped, suddenly. “That’s it.”

Talia looked up at the girl. “What?”

“Give me a second,” Rain said, rising to her feet. She rushed back into the hospital room. Vivian and Neo both started as she burst in. “What about Neo’s eye?”

“What are you talking about?” Neo asked her.

“When you fought with Kat,” Rain said, trotting up to the bed. “Remember?” She ran a finger along the side of Neo’s right eye. “She hit you so hard, she fractured your eye socket.”

“Trust me, I remember,” Neo said to her. “I was there.”

“Wait, what?” Vivian asked the pair. She leaned down and looked at Neo’s eye. “Your X-rays didn’t show any evidence of a fracture to your eye socket.”

Rain grinned. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

“What are you getting at?” Neo asked her, now thoroughly confused.

“Modern medical technology can only do so much,” Rain said. “But _magic_ can do a whole hell of a lot more.”

Neo stared at her a moment, then began grinning as well. “Make the call.”

Rain leaned down and kissed Neo on the lips. “You got it.” She turned and left the room.

“What the hell is she talking about?” Vivian asked.

“You’ll see, Doc,” Neo said, happily. “And believe me, it’s gonna blow your fuckin’ mind.”

Rain moved back into the hall to see Talia still sitting on the floor with her head on her knees. “Get up,” she said, chipper. “No more tears.” She lifted the woman to her feet.

“What’s going on?” Talia asked.

“You need to call Point Defiance. We need Kat, Rio, and Tara down here,” Rain said to her.

“For what?”

“Neo’s eye.”

“What are you-?”

“The X-rays didn’t find anything wrong with Neo’s eye.” She tapped her face near her right eye. “It was fractured during her fight with Kat. But Kat healed her. Now there’s no evidence whatsoever of it ever happening.”

“Kat, Tara, and Rio can get her back up to snuff,” Talia said, putting the pieces together. “Excellent thinking.” She shot forward and pulled Rain in for a spine-numbing kiss. “I knew there was a reason we loved you.”

Rain simply giggled as Talia whipped her phone out to make the call. “Hello, Rite? This is Talia. We need some help.”


	46. Chapter 46

Kat stood at the kitchen counter cooking off the grilled steak for cheesesteak sandwiches. “Faith? You take this over for me?” She asked as her phone began playing _The Machine_ by Theater of Tragedy.

“Sure,” Faith said, moving over from the workout area on the far side of the living room. She took the spatula from her lover and snuck a quick kiss.

Kat smiled at her before answering. “Hey, Rite. What’s up?”

“I need you, Rio, and Tara in Gunnison, Utah like, yesterday,” Rite said, her tone serious.

Kat furrowed her brow, causing Faith to look at her with concern. “Why, what’s going on? The girls need backup?”

“No, they got the Hellion thing handled. But Neo’s um…from what Talia said, her fighting days are over.”

“ _What_?” Kat said, sharply. “Neo?”

“What’s going on?” Faith asked.

“Hold on a sec,” Kat told Rite. She pulled her phone away and put it on speaker. “Go ahead.”

“Neo fucked her knee up really bad. That prompted her to go to the hospital in Gunnison.” Rite offered. “Apparently Neo’s been fucking herself up for so long that her body’s more fucked up than Sabu’s.”

“Jesus Christ,” Faith said, grimacing. “That’s fuckin’ sayin’ something.”

“You, Rio, and Tara need to get down there and work your mojo. Otherwise, Portland loses its franchise player.”

“Let me make a phone call,” Kat said to Rite. “Let them know I’m on my way.”

“I know it might be a bit out of the way but any chance you could shoot by Fresno, California and pick Cerri up? She’s worried sick.”

Kat nodded. “We’ll get it done,” she said, before hanging up. She then dialed a number she was very, very glad she had.

“Yeah?” a gruff man’s voice answered.

“General Pierce? This is Katarina Wulfheim and I desperately need your help.”

“What do you need, sweetie?” he asked, softly.

“Do you have any pull with the Military base over here?” Kat asked him.

“Joint Base Lewis-McChord? Sure as shit do,” he responded. “Tell me what you need, darlin’.”

“Any chance you could have a Blackhawk on the tarmac and ready to go in twenty minutes?” Kat asked him.

He jotted a few things down on the notepad by his phone. “I can indeed. You need any boys?”

“Nah. I just need to get to Gunnison, Utah as soon as possible. Blackhawk is the only bird I know that can make the flight as the crow flies in one fuel up.”

“True enough. Gotta strip it down to a flying gas can but it can do the job. I know they got a few that are already outfitted for long distance.” The General said to her. “What’s goin’ on?”

“Neo needs help. Me, Rio, and Tara need to get down there. Apparently, all the fighting she’s done has taken its toll. Magic has to take over where modern medical technology has left off. If we don’t, she’s permanently benched.”

“She that firecracker from Portland? The girl that used to wear football pads?” George asked. “Didn’t she come up during the whole Boneyard bullshit?”

“That’s her.” Faith added. “The really cute one with what you called the ‘no bullshit look to her’.”

“Oh yeah. I remember her. Yeah, fuck that shit,” he said. “You get to the base. I’ll make some calls. You’ll get what you need.”

“I appreciate it, General,” Kat said to him.

“Anytime, sweetheart,” he said. He hung up the phone and began sifting through his roll-a-dex.

Jemma came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel. “What’s going on, General?” she asked him. She moved over and rested her chin on her hands as she lay them on his broad shoulder.

“Gotta talk to a man about a chopper,” George said. “Ah, here we go.” He picked up his phone and dialed.

“Colonel Hodges Office. How may I assist you?” a cheerful woman asked.

“Lemme talk to Colonel Hodges, please. Tell him it’s George Pierce. He’ll know who I am.”

“One moment.” She placed him on hold.

“Kat needs a Blackhawk. I aim to get her one,” he said to the girl.

She smiled and gave him a nod. “Okay. Dinner’s almost ready,” she said, before moving back into the kitchen to finish up.

“General.” A strong voice offered from the other end of the line. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Need a favor, Charlie,” George said, not wasting any time. “I need to borrow a Blackhawk for a friend of mine.”

“Um…we don’t just hand out keys to multi-million dollar aircraft, sir,” Hodges returned.

“You know about my granddaughter, Alexia, right?” he asked.

“I’ve been briefed.”

“It’s for official website business,” George said. “Katarina Wulfheim is going to need a ride down to Gunnison, Utah. She’s fully licensed to fly just about anything.”

“That the girl that Admiral Danforth gave the old C-130 to that we had sitting on the back forty for the past ten years to?” He asked.

“Yeah. That’s her. Girl’s got a feel for the stick, believe you me,” George said, proudly.

Hodges smiled. “I’ll have one on the flight deck prepped and ready inside of twenty.” He knew full well who the girl was. Many men on the base did.

“Thanks, Charlie,” George said, happily.

 

Kat knocked on Rio’s bedroom door. A moment later, Tara answered. “Hey, Kat.”

“I need you and Rio to get dressed and be ready to go as soon as possible.”

Rio was beside Tara in a moment. “What’s the matter?”

“Neo needs our help. She needs some magical healing. She doesn’t get it, she’s forced into early retirement.”

“Oh, God,” Rio said, concerned. “We’ll be out momentarily,” she said, shutting the door.

Kat stepped over and leaned against the island. “I just hope we can do some good for her.”

Faith pulled Kat in and wrapped her arms about the girl, resting her head on the tattooed pilot’s chest. “You will.” The slayer said to her. “You’re too stubborn not to. The three of you together are seriously badass witches. I don’t think there’s anything you can’t do.”

Kat held her girlfriend tightly. “I hope so. For Neo’s sake.”

“We’re ready,” Rio said, exiting her room in a pair of lavender jeans, a violet tank top and a pair of purple Lugz. Tara, for her part, was clad in a simple pair of blue jeans, a navy blue t-shirt, and her combat boots.

“Let’s roll,” Kat said, nodding. She kissed Faith deeply. “I’ll be home in a few hours. If Lexi calls or drops by, let her know.”

“I will,” Faith said. “Be careful and good luck.”

The trio left the apartment and quickly climbed into Kat’s Mercury. She fired the huge lead sled up and roared out of the garage, bouncing down onto the street. She turned south along Pacific Avenue, weaving in and out of traffic. “Where are we going?” Rio asked from her spot in the passenger seat.

Kat cut over just after 28th Street and hit the onramp to the freeway. “The air force base,” she returned calmly. “Lexi’s granddad pulled some strings and got me a Blackhawk.” She checked her mirrors as she got onto Interstate 5. She began grabbing gears, pushing the car to speeds in excess of a hundred and twenty miles an hour.

Rio didn’t say a word about Kat’s speeding. She knew full well that Kat never drove beyond her control.

In a matter of minutes, the girl pulled off I-5 and onto State Route 512. After a short run along the Highway, she took the offramp and circled around to Steele Street. Ten minutes after leaving her apartment, Kat pulled up to the entrance to Joint Base Lewis-McChord. She pulled her ID from her pocket and showed it to the soldier at the gate.

“Go right ahead, Ma’am,” he said to her. “Just follow the Perimeter Road around behind these buildings and you’ll see your helicopter waiting.” He pointed along the blacktop.

“Thank you,” Kat said, nodding. She took her ID back and handed it and her wallet to Rio as she pulled away. The Watcher replaced her card then offered everything back. Kat did as she was instructed, circling around the huge buildings and turning left onto the tarmac. She then pointed straight ahead to a large matte black helicopter. “I guess that’s us,” she said.

“It is the only helicopter out here,” Tara offered.

Kat pulled her Mercury into a parking space beside an armored Humvee. “Everyone remember where we parked,” she said as she turned the car off.

“Yes, because an iron-gray supped up Mercury is going to be so very hard to spot next to all of the drab green military vehicles. It blends in so very well.” Rio shot back.

Tara and Kat just giggled. They all quickly moved over to the helicopter. A woman in her late 20’s stepped out of the chopper and offered her hand to them. “Lieutenant Hillary Mason.”

“I’m Kat. That’s Rio and Tara. Thanks for the ride, Lieutenant.”

“Not a problem,” Hillary said, happily. “Word has it you three are in a hurry. Climb on board and strap in, we’ll get outta here.”

Rio and Tara both took seats and fastened their harnesses securely. “How long a flight is it?”

Hillary and Kat were both cinching themselves into the pilot and copilot seats when Kat answered her. “We’ve gotta stop in Fresno to pick up Cerri. That’s about a five and a half hour flight in this thing. After about a half hour refuel, we’re looking at another three and a half hours before Gunnison.”

“Joy. Nine hours in a cargo seat,” Rio said, under her breath. Tara reached over and rested her hand on the woman’s knee, giving her a soft warm smile. Rio returned it, showing how much the simple gesture meant to her.

Kat and Hillary both flipped switches and readied the aircraft. After a quick preflight check, the chopper was in the air. Hillary let Kat take over. She gave the soldier a nod and banked south, pushing the speed up to the helicopters optimum cruising speed of a hundred and seventy miles an hour. “We’re on our way, Neo,” Kat said to herself.

 

Cerri paced back and forth in front of the table, nervously. She hadn’t slept a wink since the girls had left for Scipio. She’d tried but she just couldn’t. She’d been surviving on coffee and adrenaline. When Neo got taken to the hospital, she wasn’t necessarily worried. Then the prognosis came down. Neo’s days on the front lines were over.

That’s when Rite had contacted her and said that Kat, Tara, and Rio were on their way. They were bringing every bit of magic at their disposal to see what they could do for the beleaguered potential. Everyone was hopeful but Cerri knew the truth. Of the seven of them, Cerri was indeed the brains of the outfit. She’s studied magic extensively. She didn’t seem to have the aptitude for actual casting but she knew more _about_ magic that just about anyone she knew. And she understood that with the laundry list of problems Neo was suffering from, magic might not be able to repair all of the damage. Kat, Tara, and Rio were powerful, each in their own right and even more so as a trio but even that power had limits.

“She’s gonna be okay,” Sheryl said. “Why don’t you sit down and try eating something?” She sat a plate sporting a sandwich on the table beside Cerri’s computer. “Worrying isn’t going to help anything.”

Cerri wanted to lace into her just how stupid the statement was. Of course, worrying wasn’t going to help. That isn’t why people did it. It was a coping mechanism. It was a fear response. It was… She sighed and moved over, taking a seat. “Thanks,” she said, softly. She took a ginger bite of the sandwich and sat, staring at the laptop.

Sheryl bit her lip and got up. She moved over to a shelf in her living room and pulled a photo album from the selection. She then went into the dining room and sat down beside Cerri. “Lemme show you somethin’.” She flipped open the album to a page with a man and woman in military uniforms. “This is my folks. Both of ‘em served in Iraq when I was your age. I had to live with my Aunt from the time I was twelve, until I was fourteen. At the time I was so scared. I remember being absolutely petrified every time there was a knock on the door. I figured each time it was the man from the military come to tell me my parents were dead. I lived in fear for three years. And I was pissed off. I was mad that my mom and dad chose to leave me behind and go to a country on the other side of the world and deal with someone else’s problems.” She ran her fingers over the pictures. “But when they came home, I couldn’t be mad. I was just so happy, so relieved that I could hold them both again. After a while, I asked them why. Why they went.” She looked at Cerri. “You know what they said to me?” The girl shook her head. “They said they _had_ to. They had to because no one else would. They said a lot of people weren’t happy with the war. Over here and over there. They got constant shit from all sides that America didn’t belong there. But my folks, being career military understood why people thought that. But they said that keeping the peace is part and parcel with being the biggest dog in the yard. When you’re the strongest person in the group, you have to lead by example.”

“So they both survived their tours only to come home and die in a car wreck,” Cerri said. She immediately bit her lip. “I’m sorry. That was screwed up.”

“No it wasn’t,” Sheryl said, shaking her head. “It was the truth. They were coming home from a get together with friends when a drunk driver in a van plowed into them head-on. Mom was in the passenger seat and died on impact. Dad was pronounced D.O.A. at the hospital.”

“What happened to the driver?” Cerri asked. When she’d looked up Sheryl’s history, she hadn’t dug that deeply.

“He was found dead in his holding cell a couple of months later with a gunshot wound to the head. From what all the reports say, he was shot through the window of his cell by a French Sniper Rifle. They never did find who did it.”

“You have any ideas?” Cerri asked her.

“Oh, I already know who it was.” Sheryl offered. “My dad’s best friend when he was in the military was a sniper. Man could shoot a gnat out of the air on a windy day with a slingshot. I heard about it on the news. Dad’s buddy sent me a postcard that just had a bullseye drawn on it.”

“Subtle,” Cerri said, chuckling. “How did him being dead make you feel?”

“Torn, honestly. On the one hand, I wanted the fucker dead for what he did but there was another part of me that wanted him to have to live with what he’d done. But the sad thing is, he was a repeat offender. He’d had something like, half a dozen DUI’s, so the chance of him learning from his mistakes was pretty slim.”

“Sounds like the world’s better off without him truth be told,” Cerri said to her. “Why tell me all of this?”

“Because I know how you feel. I know how hard it is to sit by and watch while the people around you take all the risks. I know what it’s like to have to just sit and wait.” She turned to the little girl. “I may not know all you girls personally but I know enough to know that they’re gonna be okay. Neo looks the type that’ll find a way to make a comeback. She’s too stubborn not to.”

Cerri couldn’t fault the woman. She might be right. Neo was as strong as they came. Yes, the slayers had her beat on sheer physical prowess but Cerri had never met, seen, or even _heard_ of anyone with more sheer determination, spirit, and heart as Alice Frog.

She opened her mouth to respond when the loud _whump whump whump_ of a helicopter’s blade grew closer and closer and diverted her attention. “That thing is _low_ ,” she said, getting up from her seat.

Sheryl followed her as she stepped out onto the porch. “Well, now that’s something you don’t see around here every day.”

Cerri was grinning widely as the pair watched the UH-60 Blackhawk drop down on the gravel drive. The side door slid open and Tara dropped stepped out, trotting over to the house and up onto the porch. “Hey,” she said with a smile. She looked at Sheryl. “I’m Tara.”

“Sheryl. Pleased to meet you. That’s one hell of an entrance,” the woman said, taking the girl’s hand.

“We like to make an impression,” Tara offered. She looked at Cerri. “We’re here to take you to Scipio, so you can see Quan.”

“Lemme get my gear packed up,” Cerri said, turning and running into the house.

Tara gave her a nod and started as she felt cold wetness touch her leg. She looked down to see a huge malamute husky nosing her. She smiled and reached down, giving him a good scratch. “He’s friendly.”

“Yeah. Bucky’s a people dog, alright. Protective as hell but he seems to know good folks when he meets them.”

“I want to thank you for looking after Cerridwen for us,” Tara said to Sheryl. “She means the world to all of us.”

“It’s no problem. She’s a good kid. Determined as hell and smart as they come,” Sheryl said. “I’m just glad I could help.”

“I’m ready,” Cerri said, carrying her bag in her hand. She offered her hand to Sheryl. “Thanks for letting me take over your house.”

Sheryl pushed the girl’s hand away and gave her a warm hug. “It was my pleasure, sweetie. You get to your lady love and make sure she’s alright, you hear?”

“I will,” Cerri said. “I’ll see you in a few days when we come and pick up the rest of our gear.”

“See you then,” Sheryl returned. “It was nice meeting you, Tara. Take care.”

“You, too,” the Wiccan returned. The two then trotted toward the helicopter, piling in and shutting the door. A moment later, the chopper was airborne and heading east.

Sheryl watched them go and sighed heavily. She was sad to see the little girl go but felt good that she’d been able to help. “Come on, boy,” she said, going back into the house to the sound of the fading rotors. “Time for dinner.”

 

Cerri settled in, giving Kat a bright smile as she did so. She looked at Rio and gave her one as well. “Long time no see,” she said, happily.

“It has been a while.” The Watcher responded. “How’ve you been?”

“Enjoying life on the road,” Cerri said to her. “I hear you lot found your wayward Japanese slayer.”

Rio nodded, glumly. “We did. And my God…” She regaled Cerri with the condition Haru was in when they had found her.

The girl was horrified. She could only imagine what the girl had to have gone through, hopeless, helpless…personally, she couldn’t visualize a worse kind of hell. “Jesus Christ,” she said, softly.

“Since she’s been with us, she’s clung to Alexia like a lifeline. Edith even filled out paperwork and adopted her. She’s a part of a family now.”

“That’s at least a small comfort,” Cerri said. “Now she can start healing.”

“Our thoughts exactly,” Tara piped in.

As the town of Scipio came into view, Kat pushed the stick forward, easing the chopper down onto the open field to the side of the hotel. “There you are, tiny,” she said, smiling at the girl. “Give Quan a big hug for us, alright?”

“Definitely,” Cerri said, nodding. “Good luck with Neo.”

“We’ll do what we can,” Kat said. “That’s a promise. I’ll get her back on the clock. You have my word.”

“I believe you,” Cerri said. “You’re just as stubborn as she is.”

“No one is _that_ stubborn,” Rio shot back.

“Fair enough,” Cerri said, before hopping out of the copter. She trotted away and again, Kat was up and away, heading east. “Please bring her back to us,” she said to the retreating helicopter. She then turned to the hotel and began running as fast her little legs would carry her. She desperately needed Quan’s arms around her. She needed what comfort she could get.


	47. Chapter 47

Kat eased the control stick forward and touched down onto the landing pad on the top of the hospital. “Here we are.” She turned to Hillary. “Thanks for the lift, Lieutenant.”

“My pleasure. Good luck.” She shook Kat’s hand. She waited for them to get clear of the chopper before lifting off and heading back home.

“You ladies ready for this?” Kat asked her companions.

“Of course,” Tara said, nodding. “Neo needs us.”

“Let’s do this,” Rio said. “She’d do the same for us.”

It was just after nine at night and they’d been in the air almost constantly since noon. They entered the building and made their way all the way down to the check-in desk. “Excuse me. We’re here to see Alice Frog.” Kat offered with a polite smile.

The receptionist tapped on her computer. “Could you sign in, please?” She asked, pushing the book closer to them. Kat jotted her signature then stepped aside for Tara and Rio to do likewise. “Your relationship to Miss Frog?”

“We’re friends,” Tara said. “We’ve known her for quite some time.”

“She’ll be thrilled to see us,” Rio said. “Believe me.”

“Very well. She’s in room 204,” the woman returned. “Down this hallway. The elevator is to the right.”

“Thank you,” Kat returned. She headed toward the lift. “This is probably gonna wipe the three of us out, given that it’s threatening to bench Neo.”

“I’m sure we can rest up after we’re done,” Rio said. “Neo deserves our best.”

“Yeah, she does,” Kat said, sternly.

Neo, Rain, and Talia turned toward the door as it opened. The three entered the room and stepped up to the bed. Kat took Neo’s hand. “You look like shit, slugger,” Kat offered with a smile.

“I’d like to say it looks worse than it is,” Neo responded.

“I know,” Kat said to her. She could see that Neo, for the first time in her life…was _scared_. It wasn’t being hurt that Neo was afraid of. She’d fought through agonizing pain before. And she wasn’t afraid of dying. That was something she’d been prepared to do for quite some time. But something she did fear…was being _helpless_. She was afraid of no longer being able to protect the people she cared about. Neo honestly believed she had nothing to offer anyone but what she could do on the battlefield. If she couldn’t fight, she had absolutely no reason to exist, nothing to live for. In light of that, she’d rather be dead.

Kat wouldn’t allow that. Come hell or high water, she was going to do everything she could to see Neo back on her feet, kicking ass and taking names. Because of all of those fighting the war, Neo was among the most important. She was necessary. She was an inspiration to all of those that had nothing but a will to fight. Kat and Neo were both more alike than anyone else. Both girls had made a choice to fight, even with the deck stacked so heavily against them. They faced foes on a regular basis that were physically superior in every way. Kat had the luxury of powerful magic, something that was in her blood.

But Neo didn’t even have that. She had little save her tenacity and her determination to never give up, never surrender. Every time Kat looked into her eyes, she’d seen the fierce will to demolish everything in her path. A fearless resolve that never wavered never faltered.

Until now. Now, when the elder girl looked into Neo’s eyes, she saw the barely held back tears. She saw the _fear_. And it hurt her to see it. With a voice so very, very soft and weak, Neo pleaded with Kat; “Fix me.” She couldn’t keep the tears in her eyes at bay any longer. “Please.”

Kat gripped Neo’s hand tighter. “I will.” She leaned down and pecked Neo on the forehead. “I promise.”

Rio and Tara both stepped forward. “ _We_ promise,” Rio said, before reaching up and tapping Kat on the back of the head. “You’re not alone. Stop acting like it.”

That earned a chuckle from Neo as Kat rubbed the back of her head. “Yeah, yeah.”

“We’re going to do everything we can, Neo,” Tara said to her.

“I know you will.” Neo offered, laying back on the bed.

Kat looked to Talia and Rain. “We need you two to be as quiet and still as possible. We have to concentrate.” The pair nodded and scooted their chairs back against the wall. They then sat down, holding hands tightly doing their best to comfort each other.

“I’m going to be the conduit for this,” Kat said Rio and Tara. “I’m the strongest of the three. I’ll pull what you two have in and direct it where we need it, okay?” The Wiccan and the Watcher both nodded. Rio took Kat’s hand in her right then clasped Tara’s in her left. Kat then rested a hand on Neo’s chest. “Huh,” she said, with a smirk. “They _are_ bigger than mine.” Neo gave her a smug smile. All three women closed their eyes and went to work.

Kat, much as she had with Haru, perused the damage throughout Neo’s powerful form. She noticed immediately that Neo was in a much, much worse way. Both girls had hurts that were improperly healed. Haru’s were months old but Neo’s spanned _years_. For almost a decade, the potential had suffered broken bones, torn muscles, torn ligaments…the list went on and on. Kat physically gasped as she viewed it all. The power the three women possessed as a trio was near endless…but the damage that Neo had done to herself over the years _was_ endless.

Simply put, Kat, Tara, and Rio didn’t have enough power within them to right everything. But she was bound and determined to do everything she could. She proceeded to let the magical energies flow into the girl, healing what damage it was able. Kat was very selective about what she repaired and what she left alone. Everything that would cause Neo agonizing pain, she worked on. The broken bones, the scar tissue, the bone spurs, and arthritis were her priorities.

Neo’s biggest problems, the issues that even magic wouldn’t heal was the massive amount of damage to her left elbow and her right knee. Kat knew that, with surgery, Neo’s joints would be better than new. Steele was a perfect and horrific example of that. The woman walked about for years in excruciating pain due to the injuries sustained in those days. Now she used the titanium knee joint as a weapon most of the time and moved about relatively free of pain.

So, with waning power, Kat pushed what little they had into the girl’s shredded joints, giving her body a little push in healing two of her most grievous hurts. It was all she _could_ do.

After nearly an hour of standing stone still, the three women were finished. Kat staggered and Neo’s arm shot out, wrapping about her waist to keep her from falling. She pulled the girl in to let Kat lay against her. She was out like a light, her head resting against Neo’s shoulder and her leg draped over the girl’s thigh.

Rain shot to her feet and took hold of Tara, while Talia offered support to Rio. They led the exhausted women to the chairs against the wall. Rio gave her a smile and a pat on the arm. She then looked to the pair of girls on the bed.

Neo held Kat close, cradling her against her body, gently stroking her hair as she slept. Talia and Rain moved up beside her. “How do you feel?” Talia asked as she rested a hand on the girl’s shoulder.

“Better,” Neo said, smiling. She looked to the pair in the chairs. “Thank you. Both of you. I’ll never be able to repay you. Never.”

Tara and Rio both waved a dismissive hand. “You would have done the same for us,” Tara said, softly.

“I want it known now.” She sniffed and wiped the tears from her eyes. “I may not know either of you very well but you’re family. Come hell or high water, I’m there for you. Don’t care what it is.”

“We’re all in this struggle together, Neo. We have to take care of one another,” Rio said to her.

“You two need to get some rest,” Talia said to Rio. She reached down and pushed the call button on the side of Neo’s bed.

A moment later, the nurse’s aid came into the room. “Um…she can’t lay in bed with you,” the woman said to Neo.

“She ain’t goin’ anywhere,” Neo said, pulling Kat closer to her. Her eyes left no room for discussion.

The nurse wanted to voice protest but could see there would be no argument. “It’s going to make getting your vitals difficult.”

“Use the other arm,” Neo said. “I wanna talk to Doctor Hartwell.”

“She’s gone home for the evening,” the nurse said, letting it go.

Neo sighed. “Fine. Is there someplace that my friends here can go and get some rest?”

“There’s a motel just on the other side of the Hospital on Main Street,” the woman offered. “It’s not a bad little place.”

Talia looked to Rio and Tara. The pair had fallen asleep in the chairs. “Wonderful.”

“I don’t think they’re going anywhere,” Talia said. She looked at the nurse. “Sorry.”

“It’s alright,” she said. “I can tell you’re all really close.” She looked down at Neo and Kat. “Is she alright?”

“Healing magic usually wipes you out,” Neo said, nonchalant. “These three did a lot to heal me up.”

“Um…what?” the woman asked.

“Don’t worry about,” Neo said. “Just let Doctor Hartwell know she needs to come to see me when she gets in tomorrow.”

The nurse shook her head and left the room. She wasn’t paid enough to deal with this kind of weirdness.

Talia looked to Neo. “We’re going to head to the motel for the night. Get some rest on account of our seats being occupied.”

Neo nodded, pulling both Talia and Rain in for a kiss. “I love you both. I want you to know that.”

“We know,” Talia said, smiling at her. “We love you, too. We’ll see you tomorrow morning. Try to get some sleep, okay?” She tapped Neo’s forehead. “And remember. She’s already taken.”

“What I wouldn’t give to go there again,” Neo said. “But only if you two would be cool with it.”

Talia and Rain both giggled. “You know…” Talia began. She ran a finger along Kat’s tattooed arm. “A few months ago, you wouldn’t have cared.”

“Love changes a person,” Neo said.

“Yes, it does,” Talia responded. She leaned down and kissed Neo again. “Get some rest.”

“We’ll be sure to bring you some breakfast,” Talia said. “The portions here are terrible.”

“Tell me about it.” Neo offered. “See you ladies, later.” She watched them leave the room and settled back in the bed. Kat snuggled in closer as she slept. Neo looked down at her. She couldn’t help but see what Faith and Alexia saw in the girl. “Lucky bitches,” she said, leaning down to peck Kat on the head.

 

Neo awoke with a hand on her shoulder, gently shaking her. She blinked open her eyes to see Kat standing beside the bed. “Hey,” she said, groggily.

Kat leaned down and captured the girl’s lips with her own. “Thank you,” she said, softly.

Neo gave her a smile. “No problem. What time is it?” She asked, looking out the window. She could see the sun just starting to come up.

“Quarter to six.” Kat offered. “How you feelin’?”

“Better,” Neo said to her. “Not as sore. Not as stiff.”

“Good deal. Just wanted to let you know that I had to kind of pick and choose what to work on and what to leave alone,” Kat said, a bit of sadness in her voice.

“I was so fucked up that even the three of you couldn’t heal it all, huh?” Neo asked her.

“Unfortunately. The injuries to your left elbow and right knee is pretty much exactly what happened to Steele back in the eighties. Even if Rio, Tara, and I were to get our mojo back up and tried again, it wouldn’t work. For some reason, there are certain injuries that resist even magical healing. Unfortunately, massive ligament damage is one of them. Not really sure why that is.”

“You did all you could. I appreciate that,” Neo said.

“But with surgery, you’ll be back in the game. Just look at Steele. She fucks people up with her knee all the time.”

“True,” Neo said to her. The pair stared into each other’s eyes for a long time. “You know, Kat…”

“I’m in love with Alexia and Faith, Neo,” Kat said, softly.

“No shit,” Neo said. “I wasn’t gonna pledge undying love or anything. I mean don’t get me wrong, I’d trade all the tea in China for another piece of that ass but that isn’t where I was going with it. I was gonna tell you that you’re the closest thing to a sister I’ve ever had. I mean, I know we ain’t really known each other all that long in the grand scheme of things but I feel like I’ve known you for years.”

“Magically crawling around in someone’s head and through their body does give you some pretty profound insight,” Kat said, grinning.

“Not to mention climbing into the octagon with someone. Also a good teacher,” Neo said to her.

“Worst fuckin’ night of my life,” Kat said. “You fucked me up worse than anyone I’ve ever fought with.”

“I’m gonna take that as a hell of a compliment,” Neo said to her. “I gave you everything I had. I wanted to win _so_ bad. Just to prove it to myself.”

“I had to win that fight, Neo. You know why,” Kat said.

“Yeah, I know. You know what the funny thing is? It hasn’t fuckin’ mattered. Most of the Hellions knew who I was. Sam and Dean even said their buddy, Bobby, some hunter from the back in the day knows who I am.” She shook her head. “Never even heard of the guy.”

“We’re all fighting a losing war, Neo. Angel is barely hanging on in Los Angeles. Buffy and company are barely keeping it down in Sunnydale. Me, Lexi, and Faith are holding our ground in Point Defiance but again, barely. Steele, Max, and Shelby are basically just mobile backup. But you girls? I mean, Portland is fucking _huge_ and you guys cleaned it up. We can go two, maybe three days between vampire kills. You girls go _weeks_. From what Cerri has said, you’ve actually gone out patrolling for _regular_ crime because you’re bored.” Neo cocked her head, wondering where Kat was going with this. She wasn’t exactly telling the girl anything she didn’t already know. “That’s why of all of us, _you_ have to be able to fight. You _have_ to be on the front lines. Because of all of us…you’re the only one that’s actually _winning_ the war.”

Neo stared at the girl for a long while. She’d never really thought of it that way. “I don’t know what to say to that.”

“Probably nothing to say,” Kat said, shrugging. “It’s just an observation. Ever since I met you, I’ve respected the hell out of you. You showed up in Point Defiance ready to take on the world. You really cemented my decision to take up this fight. To be better than I was. If we’d have thrown down two years ago, you’d have probably kicked my ass.”

“It’s done. You’re better. Especially now,” Neo said, her tone saddening. “Even with the surgeries, physical therapy is gonna be a bitch. I’m still gonna be out of action for weeks.”

“You need time to heal, Neo,” Kat said to her. “It’ll do you some good.”

“Yes, mother,” Neo said, smiling. “God, I’m hungry.”

“You want me to see about getting you something to eat?” Kat asked her.

“I wouldn’t turn it down,” Neo returned.

Kat patted her arm. “I’ll see if the cafeteria is open.” She left the room and found a nurse’s aide doing her rounds. “Excuse me. Is there a cafeteria?” The girl pointed her in the right direction. “Thank you.” She wound her way down and picked up a few of the cold case sandwiches on offer. She also snatched up a few bottles of fruit juice. After grumbling about the price, she was back at Neo’s room a few minutes later. “Here you go,” she said, setting the food down on the tray table. The potential quickly tore into the pair of sandwiches.

 

As the day wore on, Doctor Hartwell ordered a battery of new tests, per Neo’s request. Kat, Rio, and Tara, having gotten back up to snuff after some much-needed rest, said their goodbyes and teleported back to Point Defiance.

Sam and Dean stopped by, letting everyone know that they’d got the Impala back up and running and were heading east to another job. “Nice workin’ with you,” Dean said, offering his hand. “You get better and get back out there, you hear me?”

“I will,” Neo said.

Steele, Shelby, and Max were driving back up to Portland on the off chance something had set up shop in the past few days.

It was just after four in the afternoon when Vivian came back into the room. All of Demon Queller sat about chatting. Extra chairs had been brought in. It was a tight fit but they managed.

“I can’t believe it.” The woman said, shaking her head.

Neo smiled brightly. “Let me guess. Good news?”

“I can’t… _how_?” Vivian asked her.

The rest of the girls were giggling. Neo herself was having way too much fun at the poor woman’s expense. “You’re gonna have to more specific, Doc.”

“Yesterday, you were tore up from the floor up,” Vivian said. “Now, the only injuries I can see is the damage to your knee and elbow. I mean, they both need reconstructive ligament surgery but _that’s it_. And you’ll easily be a hundred percent with physical therapy.”

“What?” Neo said, surprised. From what Kat had said, she would still need to have both joints replaced. “I don’t have to have replacement surgery?”

“No. It’s the damndest thing. Yesterday, your body looked like Ric Flair’s. Today it looks like Charlotte Flair’s.” That earned a round of suppressed snorting giggles.

Neo narrowed her eyes. “You don’t have to insult me, Doc.”

“You know what I mean,” Vivian said to her. “The bone spurs, arthritis, calcium deposits, all of it _gone_. That shouldn’t be possible.”

“And yet?” Neo asked, smiling. “So when can we get the operation on my knee and elbow done?”

“I booked the operating room yesterday. You should be able to have the procedure tomorrow morning, everything goes well.”

“Sweet. How long will I be in the ICU afterward?” Neo asked her.

“Given that you live all the way up in Portland, I’d keep you overnight. Just to make sure you were responding well. I don’t see it being a problem. Definitely not with you,” Vivian said to her. “I am so writing a medical paper on your ass.”

“I got no problem making you famous, Doc. You have been takin’ good care of me,” Neo responded.

“I’m off in twenty.” She looked to everyone in the room. “I want you all gone tonight. She needs to get proper rest. She’s got a big day tomorrow.” She looked at Neo. “And no late night snacking. You can’t eat twelve hours before your surgery. So eat a big dinner.”

“Thanks, Doc.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said, before leaving the room.

“Couple more days and I’m outta here,” Neo said. “Thank God. The place is depressing.”

“Recovering from major ligament surgery is about six months,” Cerri said to her. “You’re gonna be out of commission for a while.”

“I’ll be back in the game in two months,” Neo said. “I’m too stubborn not to be.”

“You’ll take proper time and rest,” Talia said, matter-of-fact. “If I have to tie you to the bed and feed you with a spoon…” She furrowed her brow as Neo grinned at her. “Don’t look at me like that. I wasn’t, that’s not what I meant.”

“You’re the one that went there,” Talia said, trying not to laugh.

“Everything is sex with you,” Talia growled at Neo. She turned to Rain. “And you’re not helping.”

Rain shot in and kissed her. “What a ridiculous thing to say.”


	48. Chapter 48

Neo hadn’t slept hardly at all. Not that she was really worried about it. Thus she was awake and alert when Doctor Hartwell came into her room at just after eight thirty in the morning. “Let me guess,” Vivian said as she entered. “You didn’t sleep a wink?”

“Nope,” Neo said, shaking her head. “You guys are gonna have to put me under for the surgery, right?”

“Unless you want us slicing into your leg and elbow while you’re still awake,” Vivian said. She saw the look in Neo’s eyes and furrowed her brow. “No.”

“Don’t like being knocked out, Doc,” Neo said, flatly.

“Tough shit.” Vivian returned, checking over Neo’s vitals. “You are not going to be conscious while we do your surgery. Good God.” She looked closely at the girl’s numbers and shook her head. “I swear to God, girl. You are a medical marvel. Your blood pressure hasn’t spiked at all, despite the pain you were in. Your oxygen level is fantastic. We are a _little_ worried about your body fat index.”

Neo raised an eyebrow. “You sayin’ I’m fat, Viv?”

“No. Quite the opposite. I’m saying you’re not fat _enough_. Professional athletes in your size group have a body fat index of fourteen to twenty percent, a few outliers aside. You’re barely at ten.”

“I’m a workout junky,” Neo said to her. “I’m actually pissed as fuck I’m gonna be out of commission for as long as I am.”

“I’m not supposed to tell you this but from everything I’ve seen, given your physiology and your just sheer _healthiness_ , I don’t think it’s outside the realm of possibility for you to be back on your feet fully recovered inside two months, maybe three.”

“But I’m gonna have to take it seriously easy for those two to three months, aren’t I?” Neo asked her.

“Oh, yeah,” Vivian said. “They’re gonna be up to get you in a few minutes. You ready for this?”

“I was ready for this shit like, two days ago, Doc,” Neo said to her. “I want you to give it to me straight, Viv. What are the odds something can go wrong?”

“Why do you ask?” Vivian asked her.

“Professional curiosity. They call it _practicing_ medicine for a reason.”

“Slim to none. What we’re going to be doing is pretty routine stuff. I mean from what the tests revealed yesterday – for reasons that are completely beyond me – your knee and arm actually aren’t that bad. When you first got here, I’d have said the chances were marginal that you would make a full recovery. Now, though? It’s marginal if you don’t.” She bit her lip as she stared at Neo.

“You got something you wanna say, go ahead and say it, Doc.”

“How did it happen?” Vivian asked, softly. “No bullshit, how did you heal so fast?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you, Doc. You’re a Doctor. A scientist. You made your living on what you could touch. What you can _see_. You don’t believe in anything that’s outside that.”

“I believe in ghosts, Alice.”

“I suppose that’s a start. What about the rest of it?”

“What do you mean ‘the rest of it’?”

“You believe in Vampires, Doc?” Neo asked, raising an eyebrow. “Werewolves? How about demons and devils?”

Vivian looked at her a moment. “I…I suppose I’ve never really thought about it.”

“You been in Gunnison your entire life, Viv?”

The woman gave her a nod. “I went to Med school and did my internship here. I’ve been here pretty much ever since.”

“So the chances are good you haven’t seen any cases of ‘neck rupture’ or ‘extra carotid exsanguination’, have you?” Neo asked her. She touched her neck. “Couple of little holes right here?”

Vivian had to shake her head. “No, can’t say as I have.”

“That’s why you wouldn’t believe me, Doc. This might sound seriously fuckin’ arrogant but you ain’t seen half the shit I’ve seen. There’s shit out there that all the science and gray matter in the world just can’t explain. And unless you see it, you’ll never believe it. Maybe not even then.”

Vivian again was speechless. Finally, she spoke. “So…what you’re saying is it was what? Magic?”

“Pretty much. But your kind doesn’t believe in magic,” Neo said to her. “Yeah, you’re dazzled by guys like Criss Angel and Lance Burton but that’s all bullshit. Those guys wouldn’t know magic if fell out of the sky and skull-fucked ‘em. David Copperfield, on the other hand,  _is_ the real deal. Man’s a warlock but I digress. Real magic, _real_ power is on a whole different level than that Las Vegas stage magic bullshit. But brainiacs, unless they can see it for themselves, won’t ever be able to buy it.”

Vivian had been a doctor for almost fifteen years. In that time, she’d seen a lot, dealt with a lot and heard a ton of stories. She’d heard _talk_ but as the girl had said, she’d never truly believed it. The mere thought of magic – beyond what she saw on stage – was completely preposterous to her. The world just didn’t work that way. The math wasn’t there. The laws of physics _couldn’t_ be changed.

But as she looked into the girl’s eyes…she was suddenly not so sure. Neo _was_ right in that if she didn’t see it, she wouldn’t believe it and again, maybe not even then. But with that said, she found herself _wanting_ to witness it. “Do you, do you _know_ magic?”

“Me? Fuck no. I can barely microwave a burrito,” Neo said. “And you don’t want my bitch ass anywhere near a stove. No, I just hit shit until it stops moving or goes away.” She chuckled. “Even then, I usually follow it and beat it down some more but that’s just because I’m a sick twisted bitch.”

“Then how do you…?”

“Because I’ve _seen_ , Doc. I’ve been out there, in the thick of it. People like me? We’re the reasons you haven’t heard of or seen a lot of the shit I’m talking about. Because of hunters like us, you get to live in this quaint little town and let the big city bullshit and the rat race largely pass you by.”

Vivian was about to say something else when the door open and a pair of orderlies came in. “Maybe we can talk more, later,” she said to Neo.

“Sure, Doc,” Neo said as she was helped out of her bed into a wheelchair.

She was wheeled through the hospital to the operating room. She’d been under the knife before and wasn’t really that worried about it. She trusted doctors more than she trusted just about everyone else. She was settled onto the bed and her I.V. was connected up to a sedative drip. It wasn’t long before she was drowsy. She didn’t fight it and let unconsciousness claim her, secure in the knowledge that when it was over, she would be on the road to recovery.

Portland wasn’t going to protect itself.

 

_The sun crested the eastern horizon, painting the sparse clouds an ominous shade of red._

_The wind swept across the scorched landscape, stinging Neo’s cheeks with whipping sand. “Why in the hell am I here?” She felt a familiar presence behind her. She turned to see the pair that represented the powers that be standing staring at her. “Did you two bring me here?”_

_“Yes,” the male said._

_“And no,” the female added._

_Neo chuckled. “Cryptic as usual.” She crossed her arms. “So spill it. What am I doing here?”_

_“A storm comes,” the woman said. “Fierce and brutal. It threatens all of reality.”_

_“Sounds like a Tuesday,” Neo said. “Why tell me?” she was angered. “I’m not in your fuckin’ food chain, remember? Correct me if I’m wrong but that was_ your _choice.” She shook her head. “Not mine. So fuck off,” she said, turning her back on them. “The world isn’t my fuckin’ problem. You got slayers for that shit.”_

_“Nevertheless you will play a part. As will your friends. Lives will be lost,” the man offered._

_“No one in the band,” Neo said, turning slowly to them. “Not the twins. Not Quan or Cerri. Not Talia or Rain.”_

_“Death comes…” she began._

_Neo interrupted her. “I’ve said my piece.” She stalked toward them. “Any of them die, I’m coming for the two of you. I don’t give a shit how powerful you think you are, I’ll make sure both you fuckers bleed before I’m done.” She stopped inches from the pair of them. “Even God won’t be able to save you from me.”_

_“She is arrogant,” she said._

_“She is belligerent,” he piped in._

_Both of the divine messengers were shocked when her fists flew and cracked them in the noses. The pair staggered back, gripping their faces. The look of surprise made her grin. “Maybe your vision, maybe your dream but this is_ my _head. I’m in charge here. I’m only gonna say this once; We’ve been through enough. You motherfuckers leave us the hell alone.”_

_Recovering, the pair of them straightened up. Dark blue blood dripped from their noses. “What is coming is beyond our control. Beyond the creator’s control.” They said in unison._

_“Whoa,” Neo said, confused. “What? What do you mean beyond the creator’s control?”_

_“Gods do not rule over others of their kind.” She replied._

_“The will of one God cannot be forced upon another. Such is the balance of the cosmos,” he said._

_“Fuck’s that got to do with me?” Neo asked._

_“A war is coming. You must prepare. As you are, you will not survive,” she said. If Neo didn’t know better, she could have thought that she heard… “That would sadden us.”_

Yup, _Neo thought._ That’s what I thought I heard _. “So now you care?”_

_“We have always watched over you, Neo Knight. We have given all we could, short of calling you. You are more than human. You know this. None that walk the mortal world are equal to you,” he said to her. “Do you honestly believe a human teenage girl can be as capable as you are…without help?”_

_“So I’m what? A half-slayer?” Neo asked._

_“You are what you are,” the pair said. “You are what you have chosen to become. But now, you must become more.”_

_“What in the fuck is that supposed to mean?”_

_“We have said all we can,” the pair said. “The rest is up to you.”_

_“Is there a reason that you fuckers can’t make fucking sense?” Neo asked as they faded. “Getting real tired of this cryptic ass bullshit.”_

_“Protect the key.” She heard a guttural female voice behind her. Neo turned to see a familiar figure. Her dark dusky skin glistened in the sunlight. The tattered leathers she wore barely concealed her muscular form._

_“Hey.” Neo grinned at her. “How’s it going, sexy?”_

_“Protect the key.” The cave-slayer said again. She moved up to Neo, her strong hands running over the potential’s arms and chest. She drew her face to within a hair’s breadth of Neo’s. “All fades if it bleeds. Blood to begin, blood to end.” She buried her face in Neo’s thick dark hair, drawing in a deep breath. “Pain finds you. Death beckons…”_

_“I’m gonna die protecting this, this key?” Neo asked, her arms snaking around the powerful slayer’s waist. She pulled her in, lifting her from the ground, pressing her face between dark breasts. She could feel the power, the pure_ strength _of the primitive warrior. The woman called to something deep down inside the potential._ Maybe that’s what they were talking about _, she thought._

_The cave-slayer let out a slight moan at the contact. “Not death. Pain.” She gripped Neo’s thick hair and pulled her head back to look into her eyes. “Much pain. No death.” She leaned down and plundered Neo’s mouth with her tongue. For several moments the pair held the embrace. “I…” she said, pointing to herself. “Not let you die.”_

_Neo let her down and stared at her. “I wish I was what you are.”_

_“Slayer,” she said, softly touching Neo’s chest. “Warrior.”_

_Neo gave her a nod, letting her go. “Someday,” Neo said. “I’m gonna be a full-on slayer. Even if I have to pry the power from God’s cold dead hand.”_

_“Not his choice,” Cave-slayer said, backing away from her. “Ours,” she said, motioning wide. Neo looked about to see slayers past and present surrounding them. “Soon.”_

_The sun crested the eastern horizon, painting the sparse clouds an ominous shade of red._

Neo came to in a dimly lit room. She blinked her eyes open and looked around. Talia and Rain both sat in a pair of chairs on opposite sides of her bed. “Hey, ladies,” she said, cheerfully.

They turned to regard her, happy smiles upon their faces. “How do you feel?” Rain asked her.

“Like a bunch of dudes with knives cut open my arm and leg and rooted around with metal prods,” Neo said. “You?”

“Well, you’re definitely yourself,” Talia said, happily. “Do you need anything?”

“Caffeine,” Neo said, hoarsely. “And to get the fuck out of this hospital.”

“Caffeine we can take care of but you haven’t been cleared, so you’re not going anywhere, young lady,” Talia said. She looked to Rain and nodded.

“I’ll be right back,” the girl offered. She leaned in and kissed Neo firmly on the lips. She left the room in search of libation.

“How are you, really?” Talia asked.

“I wasn’t trying to spare the kid, Tal. I’m fine. My shit hurts like hell but that’s par for the course of getting carved up like a Thanksgiving turkey. Figure it’s gonna be sore for a few days, then I start rehabbing my shit.” She stared her lover in the eye.

Talia cocked her head. “What is it?”

Neo swallowed. “When I was under I had…I had a slayer dream, Tal.”

The Watcher furrowed her brow. “Are you sure?”

Neo nodded. “I’m sure. It was a lot like the last one. The one I had in Tillamook.” She went on to detail what she remembered. She made sure to keep the particulars of her encounter with the Cave-slayer out of it but all that was said, she laid on the table.

“Any idea what they were talking about?” Talia asked.

“Not a clue. I figure we’ll know when the time comes,” Neo said. She looked to the door as Rain came in carrying a two-liter of Cherry Coke.

“Didn’t have change and the cafeteria didn’t have anyone in it. This was sitting on one of the nurse’s carts. It wasn’t open so I took it,” Rain said, twisting the cap off. She moved over and held it up to Neo’s lips.

She drank heartily and nodded. Rain pulled it away as Neo hacked lightly. She then belched out loud. “That’s better,” she said, smiling at her. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” She set it on the table and returned to her seat.

Neo then pushed the call button. As soon as the Nurse’s aid came into the room, Neo asked, “So when can I get out of here?”

The process was rather quick and painless. Doctor Hartwell looked her over, marveled at her progress and cleared her to leave. She provided numbers for follow up doctors in Portland and tried to give her the number of a physical therapist but Neo declined. Cerri went on to inform Vivian that she’d spoken with the woman that had rehabbed her arm a year and a half ago and she was willing to take Neo on as a patient.

Steadfastly refusing to use a wheelchair – and threatening to beat the orderly into a coma with it if he kept after her about it – Neo walked with a forearm crutch on her right arm and a severe limp out of the hospital. Rain and Talia both flanked her, ready at a moment’s notice to offer assistance, whether Neo asked for it or not.

Quan and Cerri moved ahead of her while the twins walked along behind, keeping their eyes on their surroundings.

“This fuckin’ sucks,” Neo said, shaking her head. “Three God damn months of being on the bench.”

“Poor baby,” Quan said. “You ain’t indestructible Neo. Even the great destroyer can get hurt.”

“The Great Destroyer,” Neo said, chuckling. “I gotta admit, I kind of like the way that sounds.”

“We could talk to Alexia. Get t-shirts made,” Cerri said. “Put your picture on ‘em. I’m sure she’d give you a cut.”

“Fuck yeah,” Neo said. “But seriously, what the fuck am I gonna do for three months? Aside from learning how to punch and run without puking?”

“I believe I can help you with that.” A smooth British voice offered. Everyone looked up to see a tall well-built man in a black sweater, a pair of black cargo pants, and combat boots leaning against the side of the old Dodge van that Quan had procured for their trip back to Fresno. He looked at the group over and stopped when he got to Talia. He gave her a smirk. “Talia.”

“Phillip?” She asked, surprise in her voice. “How long has it been?”

“Six years,” he said, pushing away from the van to walk toward them.

“You know this dude?” Neo asked, curiously.

“He’s an old friend with the Watcher’s Council. We were trained together.” She looked him up and down. “You look good.”

“So do you,” he said, nodding. He then stepped in front of Neo. “Your reputation precedes you.” He offered. “Reginald spoke very highly of you.”

“What are you doing here?” She asked him. “We were just heading Fresno to get our shit, then going home.”

“I come at the behest of Quentin Travers. He sent me when he learned of your recent hospitalization. According to doctors, you’re looking at nearly three months of recovery.” Neo frowned at him. “We’re offering our services.” He looked to Rain. “To both of you. We know of her status as a Potential.”

“How did you…?” Talia began to ask.

“She was identified just after the catastrophe that befell Victorville. When we learned, through the website, that she had taken in with you and Alice, we saw no reason to interfere. You were deemed more than qualified to handle a pair of potentials. Given that Alice…” He looked at the girl and nodded in apology. “Sorry, _Neo_. Given that Neo largely needs no supervision, we believed most of your time could be spent with young Miss Casey. From what we’ve seen, her training has come along wonderfully.”

“So what exactly are you proposing?” Sadiira asked, stepping up to him. “With Neo in this condition, she isn’t exactly at a hundred percent.”

“Thanks,” Neo said to the girl.

“Well, she ain’t wrong,” Quan said.

“What we propose is state of the art recovery center. The best medical staff in the world and a training regiment that will, when all is said and done, see her at better than a hundred percent.” He rested his hands on Neo’s shoulder. “I watched the fight between you and Katarina Wulfheim. Physically, the pair of you were as near as makes no difference identical. You were perhaps a touch stronger and she, a touch faster. But where she eked you out was just pure skill. It had come down to technique and training. Simply put, she had more.”

“Kat’s a world class martial artist,” Neo said. “I’m just a street fighter from Portland.”

“Exactly,” Phillip said. “How would you like to be so much more?”

“Me, Cerri, and the twins can hold the fort. We’ll even keep Steele, Shelby, and Max around if it’ll make you feel better,” Quan said to the girl.

“You think I should do this?” Neo asked.

“I do,” Quan said to her. “If you go to Portland, the desire to go out patrolling is gonna be too great. There won’t be enough to occupy your time.”

“What about our gigs?” Neo asked her. “None of you bitches can sing for shit.”

“Max can,” Cerri said. “Not as well as you but she’s better than the lot of us. Our crowds will understand. Especially if they get to see her cut loose on the guitar.”

“She’s better than me,” Sadiira said. She didn’t sound the least bit jealous of the fact.

“I don’t give a shit. None of this Demon Queller featuring Max Gibson or Diablerie, horseshit,” Neo said. “You’re still gonna be just Demon Queller.”

“ _Just_ has no place in that sentence,” Nadiira said, flatly.

“Then it’s all settled,” Talia said, smiling. “Phillip? Looks like we’re going to be spending some time in London.”

“I was hoping you’d say that.” He looked up into Quan’s eyes, given that the woman towered over him. “I understand what these three mean to you. I promise nothing untoward will befall them. You have my word.” He offered his hand.

She took it firmly. “Talia vouches for you. That’s good enough for me. Forewarned is forearmed. Neo can be kind of a cunt sometimes.”

“Understood,” he said. “We’ll have her back before you know it.” He turned to the two potentials and their Watcher. “I have a car to take us to the local airfield. The council’s private plane is waiting on the tarmac.”

Neo looked at Quan. “You girls be careful. Look out for each other.” She pulled Quan in and hugged her. “You’re in charge until I get back.” She then repeated the embrace with the other three. “You take care of our tank, you hear me, tiny?” she said to Cerri.

“I will, Neo,” Cerri said, tears in her eyes.

“Hey, none of that shit.” The elder girl said, wiping the tears away with her thumb. “There’s no crying in Demon Queller.” She ruffled the girl’s hair. “I promise I’ll come back and be kickin’ ass and takin’ names in no time.” Cerri sniffed and nodded.

Rain and Talia received heartfelt goodbyes as well.

The three climbed into the car and headed off.

“Come on, ladies. We got a long drive ahead of us,” Quan said, turning toward the van.


	49. Chapter 49

Neo looked out the window as the private jet drifted down through the heavy cloud cover that hung like a pall over the city of London. “Clouds of iron gather nigh,” she said, sadly. “Blackening the winter sky.”

Rain chuckled. “Storms gather fury from the lake, best hurry home, and refuge take,” she offered back. 

Both Phillip and Talia raised an eyebrow as the teens looked at each other.

“For soon the worst will come to pass,” Neo continued, now grinning. “And ice will turn your roads to glass.”

“While in the north the beast awakens, from his yearlong slumber taken,” Rain added.

“What are they talking about?” Phillip mouthed silently to Talia.

The woman gave him a shrug and shook her head. “I have no idea.”

Neo kept on, ignoring the pair. “His howl the fury of the gales, with deadly curves that rarely fail.”

“To send your autos into flight, through blizzard's curtain blinding white,” Rain kept it going.

“See driving skills you lack with the,” Neo sang.

“Flight of the Skajaquada!” Both girls belted out and began playing furious air guitar as they made screeching electric guitar noises.

“You two can stop that,” Talia said, swatting at the pair of them.

“One minute of lyrics, three minutes of guitar,” Neo said, laughing. “Dumbest song ever.”

“I like that song,” Rain said to her. “It’s fun. You guys sound good when you play it.”

“Yeah, Sadiira can carve it up when she lets it out,” Neo said. “I hope they’re gonna be okay.”

“I’m sure they’ll be fine,” Talia said. “They have Steele, Max, and Shelby with them.”

“Yeah, I know,” Neo said. “Don’t stop me from worrying about ‘em, though.” She again flicked her eyes out at the city. “This is some seriously nasty shit.” She looked at Phillip. “Is this gonna be a thing here?”

“You don’t like rain?” He then looked at the younger potential. “No pun intended.”

“I love her,” Neo said, pointing. “But I hate this shit.” She motioned out the window.

“Correct me if I’m wrong but you live in the Pacific Northwest. Rain should be something you’re accustomed to.”

Neo turned to look at him but it was Rain that spoke up. “Well, in her defense, she did just spend the past few weeks in California.”

“Fair point,” he conceded. “It does rain here quite often but not overmuch. No more so than where you’re from.”

“That sucks,” Neo said, sighing. “I kinda liked the weather in Cali.”

The plane touched down and taxied to a stop. A long black Mercedes Limousine sat on the tarmac. The Chauffer stood beside the car with an umbrella, waiting patiently. Neo reached for her bag with her left arm and cursed, before grabbing the bag with her right and transferring it to her left. The weight caused her to let out a hiss of pain before making her way toward the exit.

“Dammit, Alice,” Talia said, reaching for the bag.

“I can carry my own fucking bag, Tal,” Neo snapped back.

“Neo, stop,” Rain said to her. She rested a hand on the potential’s arm. “Put it down.” She stared into her eyes. “Please?”

Neo growled and threw her bag down. “Fine.” She shot back before turning and leaving the plane. “Not a fuckin’ pussy.” She snarled as she moved.

The three of them stood there as the girl limped from the plane. Rain sighed and turned back to Neo’s seat. The arm crutch was still leaning against it. She looked at Talia who nodded and reached for the large black duffel. “I’ve got it,” Phillip said, lifting it easily from the floor. Rain took Neo’s crutch and quietly exited the plane. Phillip leaned closer to Talia. “I take it she’s never had a debilitating injury before?”

“Not one that’s been properly attended to, no,” Talia said. “She’s been hurt plenty of times. But for the grace of God, she’s never had to seek proper medical attention for any of her previous injuries. This will be her first time in long term recovery.” She looked at him. “Your staff is in for a long uphill battle.”

Phillip gave her a nod. “If she is half as gifted as her dossier proclaims her to be, then I believe her to be more than worth the effort.”

Rain listened to the pair but didn’t hear them. She was too busy staring down the stairs at her love. Neo stood gazing at the horizon. The act of standing up straight was causing her entire body to shudder. Being stubborn was Neo’s bread and butter. Everything she was, was because of that hard-headedness. Thus, despite the Chauffer having opened the door of the car and lifting the boot lid, she chose to stand in the rain and wait for the rest of her party.

Rain made her way over to the girl and reached up, touching her shoulder. “You forgot this,” she said softly, wholly expecting to get her head bitten off.

Neo turned to regard her. She let out a groan. “Thanks,” she said, taking the crutch and leaning heavily on it. “Sorry.”

“It’s alright,” Rain said. She turned to put her own bag in the back of the car when Neo’s hand fell upon her arm. She looked at her girlfriend.

“Rain? I’m sorry,” Neo said again, more intently. She pulled the girl in and hugged her as tightly as having an arm in a cast would allow. “This is hard for me. I’ve never-,”

“I know,” Rain said. “I understand, I do. These next few months are going to be hell for you.” She held Neo’s eyes. “We love you, Neo. Please remember that.”

“I know you do,” she said, kissing the girl gently. “I love you, too.”

Phillip and Talia gave the pair a moment before approaching. “As touching as this is, I don’t fancy standing in a downpour,” he offered.

Everyone quickly deposited their bags and climbed into the car. Neo groaned about needing help as she held Talia’s hand. A few minutes later, they were moving through London traffic toward the Watcher’s base of operations. They rolled to a stop in front of the large Victorian structure. “If you feel up to it, Quentin wanted to speak with you when you’re ready,” Phillip said to Neo.

The potential nodded. “Let’s do it,” she returned. “Get it over with.”

“I’ll show her the way,” Talia offered.

“I’ll get your bags and see them to your quarters,” he said to them.

Talia led on, waiting as Neo hobbled along behind her. She could tell that the limited motion was frustrating the girl. As they traversed the halls of the old building, Rain looked about, completely fascinated by everything. It was all very breathtaking. Priceless works of art, suits of armor dating back centuries, artifacts of unknown origin and even stuffed and mounted trophies of various beasts. To Rain, it was a museum of supernatural history.

To Neo, however, the place was simply a means to an end. She needed to get to work on getting better. This place would help her do that. She’d be impressed with the décor later. Right now, she had business on her mind. A few minutes later, Talia pushed open the doors that led to Quentin’s receptionist’s office. “Alice Frog. Here to speak with Quentin Travers.”

The woman looked up at the trio. “She can go right in,” she said, rising to her feet. “He wanted to speak with her alone.”

Talia nodded and pulled Neo in for a hug. “We’ll be right out here.”

Rain shot in and kissed her. “Remember who you are,” she said to the muscular girl.

Neo smiled at her and turned, following the secretary. She limped into the massive office and listened as the door thumped closed behind her. She cast her eyes about the room and took everything in. The walls were lined with books and knick-knacks. Two large sofas sat in the middle of the room with a finely crafted antique coffee table between them.

Her gaze then fell upon the man she’d traveled thousands of miles to see. Quentin Travers rose to his feet from behind the desk. He was near as makes no difference her own height, maybe an inch taller, with a thick build.  He was going a bit soft around the midsection but Neo didn’t miss the way the man moved. There was a reason he was the leader of the Watcher’s Council. The common saying was those who can do and those who can’t, teach.

And Quentin Travers wasn’t _teaching_. “Neo,” he said, offering his hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you. Reginald speaks very highly of you.”

She took his hand, giving it a firm shake. “Mr. Travers. I’m sure there were some pretty colorful metaphors among the praise.”

“I would be lying if I tried to deny that,” he said, giving her a smile. He motioned to the chair in front of the desk. “You may call me Quentin.”

Neo looked at him. “Nah. I haven’t earned that yet.” He gave a single nod as they took their seats. “I do appreciate you flying me over to help me out.”

“I know your trust in us was shaken rather badly when Reginald returned to England,” he began. “And again, I would be lying if I said that us offering to help you isn’t somewhat self-serving.”

“I know how it goes. I’m a soldier on the payroll. I’m an investment. You gotta protect your investments.”

“You are a very, very efficient and effective front line fighter. Singlehandedly, you cleaned up a city of over six hundred thousand-”

Neo cut him off. “I don’t mean to be a bitch but you need to get your facts straight.” She shook her head. “I didn’t do shit singlehandedly. If not for Quan finding me the night I snuck out to deal with that nest, I would have been dead. She took me and nursed me back to health. And if not for the twins, Quan and I would have bitten it numerous times. And without Cerri and her gray matter, we’d have been taken out by more nasty surprises than a back alley Thai Whorehouse. Demon Queller is more than just a rock band and a group of friends. We’re a family.”

Quentin conceded that with a nod. “Fair enough. But we’ve been doing some digging. It isn’t your band mates that the underworld fears so greatly.” He pointed to her. “It’s you. Why is that?”

“When they go out, Quan and the twins are looking to protect the people they care about most. That would be us girls. But me? I have a different reason altogether. The others on the site say that I’m out to punish the supernatural for daring to exist in my world.”

“Is that true?” He asked her.

“I suppose it is,” Neo admitted.

“Talia has been keeping us abreast of your activities since she joined you. Before that…” He pulled out a rather sizable file folder. “Before that, young Cerridwen was gracious enough to um, to catalog your endeavors.” He flipped it open. “These are individual reports that she’s sent us.”

Neo chuckled. “Makes for some pretty grim reading, I take it?”

He sifted through them and came to a particular incident. “This here,” he said, holding it up. “According to this, you beat a vampire into unconsciousness, removed his legs and arms with a brush knife, tore his jaw free of his skull then rammed it into his right eye and pushed it around and out through his left.” He looked at her to gauge her reaction. When he received nothing, he continued on. “It then says you carved ‘You’re All Next’ into his chest before throwing his remains in through the front window of a pub that caters exclusively to the supernatural.” He looked at her. “Is this account true?”

Neo simply nodded. “I’ve done that at least three times that I can remember off the top of my head.”

“Why not simply kill the vampire and be done with it?”

“Because then the demons in the bar wouldn’t have gotten the message,” Neo said to him. “They would have continued on in my town. I have a zero tolerance policy for the supernatural.” She pointed to the papers. “You’ve got it all in black and white right in front of you.”

“But what of Melanie Gibson? She’s a vampire.”

“You talkin’ about Max?” At Quentin’s nod, Neo shook her head. “She’s different. You know that you’ve met her. She’s a member of the team. I’d lay my life on the line for her, just like she would for me.”

“But it wasn’t always that way, was it?” he asked her.

“No, it wasn’t. But she proved herself and earned my respect. All of the hunters from the site have. They’re warriors, just like me. Every one of them fights for a better world. At the very least a safer one.”

“Have you given any thought to why you were tagged as a potential?”

“Because I’m the best there is at what I do,” Neo said to him. “The only problem is, as it turns out, what I do isn’t very nice.”

“I don’t argue with that,” he said to her. “Why haven’t you been called, do you think?”

“I actually know the reason I haven’t been called. The powers that be have straight up told me. They won’t call me because they’re afraid of me.”

“What makes you say that?” he asked her.

“Like I said. They told me. I’ve had three dreams now where they’ve said, in no uncertain terms, that I’m not being called as a slayer because it would fuck up the balance of the cosmos. I’m the Missouri to the Battle of Sacket’s Harbor during the War of 1812. I’d be straight wrecking people’s shit.”

“Do they, do _you_ really believe you would make that much of a difference?” he asked her.

She gave him a shrug. “I don’t know. Maybe, maybe not. Doesn’t really matter. I’ve made peace with it, more or less.”

“So it doesn’t bother you?”

“Of course it bothers me. But here’s the thing.” She leaned forward. “Name me one slayer – just _one_ – that the underworld is afraid of.” She shook her head. “You can’t. No one can. Alexia, Faith, Buffy, and Steele…all of them are known to one degree or another but their names don’t carry the kind of fear that mine does. So, the way I look at it, I must be doing something right that they’re not. The only reason I can think of is how I play the game. The only thing I do differently is I make each and every vampire I kill a statement. Everything I take out is warning to others not the fuck with my city and my family. Beyond that, I couldn’t care less. The only reason I went on tour was because I was tired of being bored.”

“So…you’re not like the other slayers. You’re not fighting to save the world?” he asked her.

“You fuckin’ kidding me?” Neo asked, furrowing her brow. “I’m just a girl from Portland with breathtaking anger management issues. I spent my earliest years living in a trailer on the outskirts of a sleepy California town and my formative years getting lectured and trained by a rich British guy with a bad hip.” She again shook her head. “No, I’m not out to save the world. Seven billion people is too many, it’s too big. I’m just doing my best to save six.”

Quentin looked at her for several seconds. “You are a remarkable young girl, you know that?”

“So everyone keeps telling me,” Neo said to him. “I’ve had to be hard because being hard is all I’ve got. I don’t have the slayer strength, speed, and endurance to fall back on. I just have me. I just have the power I’ve given myself.”

“It seems to have served you quite well,” Quentin admitted.

“Out there, in the day to day, or the night to night as our case may be, shit gets a lot simpler. There’s only one rule but it’s the hardest rule there is to live by. Survival of the fittest.”

His eyes traveled over her powerful form. “And I can see you’ve grown quite fit.”

She sighed and lifted her cast-covered arm. “For all the good it’s done me.”

“That isn’t going to stop you and we both know it,” he said to her. “I’ve read your file quite extensively. You’ve learned everything you need to know but not everything you _should_ know. We’re going to see about fixing that.”

Neo gave him a nod. “I need to get back into the shit.”

“We’ll make sure you do.” He rose again and offered his hand. “You should get some rest.”

“Thanks,” she said to him. “I wanna start tomorrow.”

“I understand. Someone will be by your quarters in the morning,” he said. “Have a good night.”

Neo nodded and limped out of the office. She stepped out to see Talia and Rain waiting for her. “I start work first thing tomorrow.”

“Then let’s go get some dinner and some rest,” Talia said to her. “You’ve got a busy day ahead of you.”


	50. Chapter 50

Neo was pissed. The pain was nothing new to her. She’d been living with it almost all her life. Broken bones, dislocated joints, pulled muscles. It was all par for the course of doing what she did and being who she was. As much as her thick dark hair and perpetual snarl. In her line of work, she’d just simply learned to live with it.

For three days, she’d been limping around Watcher HQ doing her best to look intimidating. Hard to do when you can’t walk without looking like you’re about to keel over. Those she passed in the hallways – many of which knew her by reputation alone – gave her a nod and a wave. Their politeness, false or genuine, didn’t register. She simply flicked her eyes to them, letting them know that she saw and acknowledged them but that was it.

Talia and Rain had both been swept up in their own training and education. Quentin had put Rain through her paces and found that the girl had an absolutely wonderful foundation with which to build on. Neo was happy for her. Talia was likewise being evaluated on her performance as both Neo and Rain’s Watcher for the past few months. The woman wasn’t worried and Neo was assured by Quentin himself that Talia would be her Watcher for a long time.

Neo sighed heavily and moved over, sitting on a sofa that rested against the wall of the long hallway and just watched as every now and again someone moved past. She’d ceased using her crutch and had been simply walking about, doing her best to build her leg strength back up, per her physical therapist’s orders. She absently rubbed the muscles in and around her knee. For reasons that completely escaped her, doubt had been setting in on her. For the past couple of days, she’d been melancholy. She couldn’t really put her finger on why she just…she felt like it wasn’t worth it. That _she_ wasn’t worth it anymore. She looked at her heavily braced leg and her casted arm. Her mind drifted back to when she arrived in the hospital and the laundry list of ills that Vivian had laid out for her.

_“Your joints, bones, ligaments, and tendons are at the level of a sixty-year-old professional wrestler. You’ve got the beginnings of osteoarthritis in nearly every joint in your body. You’ve got calcium deposits in your shoulders, elbows, knees, and ankles. You’ve got scar tissue buildup in both knees and elbows. It’s the worst in your left elbow and right knee. You’ve got bone spurs in your neck, right shoulder, three ribs on your left side and two on your right and throughout both hands. You’ve also got scar tissue buildup on your left lung and slight swelling of the heart but the swelling is reducing.”_

_“What um…gulp…What does all that mean?”_

_“Surgery can repair a lot of the damage and give you a fairly healthy life.”_

_“There’s a_ but _in there somewhere, Doc.”_

_“Your days of fighting are pretty much over.”_

As she looked her broken form over, a question formed in her mind. And it was far, far too loud to ignore. _Is she wrong?_ She had no answer. For the first time in her life, Neo’s unshakable confidence in herself had been shaken to its very core.

 _What’s the point?_ She asked herself. _You’ve been fooling yourself. You’re not a slayer. You never were…and you never will be._ She gave out with a grunt as she pushed herself to her feet. With her head down, she limped back to her room. _You’re no good to anyone anymore._ She said to herself. She wasn’t doubting that she could get back to form and continue as she was but she just wasn’t sure what would be served by it. Not being a slayer was what got her to this condition in the first place. And no matter how hard she trained, how much she learned and how hard she fought, this was all she would ever have to look forward to.

Because the powers that be refused to call her, she had to do it all on her own. And all she had gotten for her trouble was pain and suffering.

As she walked, her memories again drifted to a few days ago, to that conversation with the good doctor. She remembered what she’d said and the sharp slap to the face that Vivian had come back with. 

_“I’m tougher than I look.”_

_“That’s just it. No, you’re not. You just think you are. And you ignore your body when it tries telling you otherwise. Marines like to say that pain is weakness leaving the body. That isn’t true at all. Pain is your body tearing itself apart. Yes, I can tell that you heal fairly quickly. Quicker than just about anyone else I’ve ever seen, truth be told. But you aren’t Wolverine. The injuries you’ve sustained over your life have caught up with you. I’m gonna level with you, kiddo. You should be dead. All the punishment you’ve taken, all the strain you’ve put on your body…I don’t know how you survived.”_

“Because I’m stupid,” Neo said quietly to herself. “And I was just too fucking stubborn to admit it.” She got back to her, Talia, and Rain’s suite went into the bedroom and slammed the door shut. She fell onto the bed she’d been sharing with the two women that she loved. “I’m no good for them. For anyone. I never was,” she said, turning and dropping face first onto the pillow.

For the first time, she could remember…Alice Frog, known throughout the supernatural world as Neo Knight…wept.

 

Talia held Rain as the girl bawled. The elder woman understood her pain all too well. It had been a week since they’d come to England. And it had been almost four days since Neo had shut herself in their room. The pair had been forced to sleep elsewhere because Neo refused to open the door.

If Talia hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she wouldn’t have believed it. The impossible had happened. She had hoped – _prayed_ – that she would never live to see such a thing.

Neo had given up. To the pair, it seemed rather sudden. Rain had been the first to speak with her.

“Leave me alone,” Neo said to her.

“Just tell me what’s wrong,” Rain asked her. “I wanna help.”

“You can’t,” Neo said, shaking her head. “No one can.”

“What’s wrong with you?” Rain sat on the edge of the bed.

Neo turned to look at her for the first time since she entered the room. Rain was forced to gasp in surprise. A sob worked its way up her throat. When she had first met Neo, the girl was wild and fierce. Her eyes were like staring into those of a wolf or a jungle cat as it paced back and forth behind the glass or bars of the zoo. Eyes that were always alert, always looking forward to the next hunt, searching for their next meal. Neo was life unscripted. Rage, fury, and fire all combined in the form of a powerfully built teenage girl with no fear.

But now, as the potential looked at her, the inferno that burned within the girl seemed to have gone out completely. Neo had been worse than beaten.

She’d been _broken_. Rain wanted desperately to say something – anything – to help the girl. But in the light of such overwhelmingly crushing despair, she knew there was nothing she could say. “I love you,” she said, not knowing what else to do.

Neo stared at her a moment, then lowered her eyes back down to her casted arm. “I don’t know why,” she said, sadly. “It’s not like I can fight for it anymore.”

Rain leaned in and kissed her. “You’ll beat this,” she said, softly. Before Neo could say anything else, the younger potential ran from the room and rushed into the arms of her Watcher. She hadn’t stopped crying since.

Over the days, Talia had likewise tried to break her out of her funk. Even Phillip gave it a go. His words were kind and supportive, which was something Talia would have never thought she’d see but even he couldn’t motivate the girl. Reginald likewise spoke with her. When he left the room, he was in tears and refused to talk about it.

Talia said nothing to Neo when she saw her last. She didn’t have to. She knew that she was powerless in the face of what the girl was going through. The only person that had ever had the power to truly beat Neo, was Neo. No amount of talk, no amount of inspirational speechifying was going to draw her out of her stupor. Neither she nor Rain had ever been where Neo was. Neither of them knew that dark pit of hopelessness.

But Talia and Rain weren’t the only ones that had watched the girl’s rapid downward spiral. Another man, a powerful man, had been watching. And unlike the Watcher and her young charge, he was not emotionally invested. He was a pragmatist. He was a fixer, a _doer_. And he knew just who to call. As the girls held each other and wept for their love, he decided on action.

 

Neo stared out the window at the gray of the London skyline. The clouds matched her mood. A dull throb ran up her leg. She shifted and settled back again. _They can get along without me_ , she thought to herself.

A knock on the door drew an exasperated sigh from her lips. “I said leave me alone!” she shouted. Whoever it was, didn’t knock again. She was glad for it. She’d began formulating plans to leave Watcher HQ, leave Talia and Rain behind and disappear into the thick of London. Deep down, she knew that she was being ridiculously overdramatic. She was just too busy wallowing in self-pity to care. According to every medical professional she’d spoken to, her recovery was taking far less time than they had originally thought. She could be back up to fighting weight… she snorted at the thought. “Fighting weight,” she said to herself. “Back to being a fucking poser.” 

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of heavy drumming just outside the door. “What the fuck?” She said, angrily. She rose to her feet and limped over. She recognized the beat as the lengthy drum solo of _In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida_ by Iron Butterfly. She stood there a moment just listening. It took her a bit to put it together. She knew that style. She slowly pulled the door open…

There, in the middle of the living room, Cerridwen sat behind her drum kit, pounding out the beat and staring at her. The girl cocked her head. For a minute straight the pair looked at each other.

“What are you doing here?” Neo asked her.

Cerri just smiled and said nothing. She motioned with her head and eyes to the side.

Neo followed her gaze and turned. Her ivory white Gibson Flying V Guitar sat on its stand. The ax meant the world to her and Cerri knew that. It was the first birthday present Cerri had ever bought for her. They’d luckily left it in Portland when they’d gone on tour. It looked to be plugged into an amplifier and ready to play. And the thought saddened Neo greatly. She turned back to Cerri and lifted her left arm. “I can’t.”

“Bullshit,” Cerri said, shaking her head.

“Seriously, with the cast -,”

“Bullshit!” Cerri snapped, adding a cymbal crash with her statement.

“I can’t just-,”

“BULLSHIT!” Cerri screamed at her. “Play your fucking guitar, Neo!”

The potential was getting angry now. She shot forward and reached out, catching hold the ringing cymbal to stop it. “I can’t-,” She quickly moved her hand as Cerri cracked her on the knuckles with her drum stick. “Ouch, fuck,” she said, shaking her hand.

“Solo’s almost over. We’ve played this a thousand times. You know the chords.” Cerri was grinning at her. “And don’t give me _I can’t_. Fuck can’t. You’re Neo. Lead singer of Demon Queller. Scourge of the fucking underworld. You don’t do _can’t_.” Her eyes softened. “If not for you, I…” Cerri swallowed and stopped playing. “If not for you, I never would have been able to do this again.”

“Cerri, you kept going because you’re strong. Stronger than you know.”

“I know,” the girl said. “But I never would have realized it without you.”

“Cerri, you didn’t-,”

“Come on!” Cerri growled, leaning forward on her drums. “Just fucking do it, Cerri!” She cocked her head a touch. “Stop being a fuckin’ pussy, Cerri! This is bullshit! This is nothing! The little girl _I_ know wouldn’t let this bullshit beat her! Are you that girl, tiny? Are you the girl that makes sure we all make it back in one piece or are you just gonna lay down and be a fucking bitch?” She gave Neo a moment. “Remember those words? The first time I tried playing the drums after that night.” She crashed the cymbal. “I had about twenty seconds in me of this song and you stood there, screaming at me to play it all.”

Neo bit her lip to keep from bawling. “You cried your fucking eyes out and asked me what you did to make me hate you.”

“But I played it all. Every beat, every hit.” She smiled at Neo. “Because of you.” She shook her head. “There would be no Demon Queller without you. You’re our hero, Neo.” She got up and moved over, standing in front of the potential. “You may fight for us but we also fight for you. Just because we’re the Blackhearts to your Joan Jett out on the battlefield doesn’t mean we’re any less a part of the band. And what’s more, you don’t treat us that way. You inspire us all…” She hugged her friend. “Just like you inspired me.” She looked up into Neo’s eyes. “You’re stronger than this. You know you are. You don’t have time to feel sorry for yourself.”

“Look at me, Cerri. I’m a mess. I don’t think I can do this anymore.”

“Well, then you’ve got a problem, don’t you?” Cerri reached up and tapped Neo on the forehead. “We don’t pay you to think. We pay you to be sexy, kick ass, and sing. And you do those three things better than anyone else in the band. So stop fucking thinking and start fucking _doing_.” She then about-faced and got back behind her drums. She lifted her sticks and stared at Neo. The girl looked back at her. “Heidenreich broke my arm in three places.” She did a quick fill on the drums. “And now I’m back at it. And not to put too fine a point on it but if Rick Allen can overcome getting his fucking arm _ripped off_ and get back to playing drums, you can beat this bullshit. Now get that fucking cast off and gimme some chords.” She was once again pounding out the beat. “Come on. Time’s wastin’.”

Neo stared at her for another few seconds. She looked down at her left arm and the thick white cast covering it. She curled her fingers into a fist. Pain lanced up her arm. She gritted her teeth as her knuckles popped angrily. She grunted as she began to straighten her arm. She could hear the plaster begin to give with a creak. “Come on, motherfucker.”

Cerri smiled as she watched the display. It was exactly what she was hoping for.

Neo continued to flex, seeing the channels in the white widened. She growled louder and louder as the pain grew more intense. Finally, with a scream, the cast burst away from her powerful arm and rained down onto the floor.

Cerri gave a hard cymbal crash as she cheered. “Way to go! That looked awesome!”

Neo looked at her and smiled. She then looked down at her arm, straightening it out, earning a series of sharp _cracks_ for her effort. She moved over and lifted the guitar and looped the strap around her neck. “Not that one,” she said the petite drummer.

 

Rain and Talia sat in the hallway and listened intently. “Do you think she can help?” Rain asked her Watcher and love.

Talia shrugged. “I don’t know,” she said, softly. “I’ve never seen her like this. Didn’t even know it was possible. I’m not sure if anything can-,” She stopped and lifted her head.

“What-,” Rain began but Talia stayed her.

“Listen,” the woman said. Slowly a smile began spreading across her face. “Do you hear that?”

Rain struggled to listen. It was low but she was sure that over the drum beat, she heard the faint sound of… “Is that a guitar?”

Talia looked at her. “I believe it is.” She rose to her feet and moved across the hall to the door. Rain was immediately beside her. Slowly, Talia turned the knob, pushing it open.

She stopped and stared with tear-rimmed eyes.

Neo stood in front of the drums, facing Cerri as the pair played the song that the young drummer had written as a tribute to her fellow bandmates, aptly named _Warrior’s Soul_. Neo’s vocals were just as powerhouse as the rest of her. Talia had been heartened that Cerri had done a complete and total rewrite of the song a few weeks ago to accommodate her violin, should the woman wish to join them on stage. She turned to the pair and gave them a wide smile.

Talia looked to the floor to see the cast laying in a pile upon the wood. The pair continued to stand transfixed as Neo played and sung while Cerri pounded out the rhythm.

When the song ended, Neo stared at them both. She slowly lifted her guitar from about her neck and set it down. She limped over and looked into their eyes. She then pulled them both into a tight hug. “I’m sorry,” she said, softly. “I’m so fucking sorry.” A sob racked her body.

“It’s alright,” Talia said to her.

“We’re just glad to have you back,” Rain said to her. “We missed you.”

“I missed you both, too,” Neo said, her voice shaking. “Never again,” she said, shaking her head. “Never again.”

Cerri grinned widely as she crossed her arms. “My work here is done,” she said, quietly to herself. 

 

Quentin Travers started when the double doors of his office slammed open. He looked up to see Neo limp determinedly across the floor toward him with a paper bag in her hand. She stopped in front of the desk and stared at him a moment. Her visage was tight and focused. She upended the sack and spilled its contents onto his desk. The remnants of the cast fell out. He could see something written on the largest of the flotsam.

“I’m sorry, Quentin,” Neo said to him. “You put your faith in me. And I folded. I withdrew into myself like a fuckin’ emo bitch.” She shook her head. “You didn’t fly me out here to have me sit in a fuckin’ room and feel sorry for myself. I’m sorry. You don’t deserve that. I’m done feeling like a fuckin’ pussy. I’m not a slayer. Might never be. But I gotta live with that. That doesn’t mean I can’t fight. Doesn’t mean I can’t take as many of those motherfuckers out as I can before I go.” Tears began to moisten her eyes. “I let you down.” She tossed the bag aside, angrily. “It’ll never happen again. You have my word.”

Quentin stared into her eyes and smiled. _That’s the Neo I’ve been hearing so much about_ , he thought to himself. “That is all that you will ever have to say to me.”

“This may be as nothing to a man with your connections and influence but nevertheless. You ever need anything, me and the girls are here for you.”

He gave her a nod. “I appreciate the compliment implicit in your offer, Neo.”

She nodded in return. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going down to the gym to beat the shit out of a bunch of your employees.”

“Good,” he said, smiling. “You’ve got a bit of time to make up for.”

She turned and limped out of his office. As she closed the doors, he lowered his eyes to the broken cast. He lifted it and read the words on it.

 

**_Crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of the women!_ **

****

He smiled brightly and nodded. From what he knew and what he’d heard, it was very much Neo. He turned and set the plaster down atop his credenza. He leaned back and stared at it. “And so it begins,” he said, still grinning.


	51. Chapter 51

“Come on, Alice,” Talia said as she stood beside the leg extension exercise machine. “Just four more reps. You can do it.”

Neo’s knuckles were white from holding the foam-wrapped handles next to the padded seat. Her entire body was covered in sweat and chiseled in marble. Her face was a mask of pain and focus. “Gah!” She let out as her injured leg flexed taught. The four hundred pound weight, a number that astonished all of those that had watched her slowly lifted. She let it back down, giving her knee a bit of a rest before again extending her legs.

It had been three weeks since Quentin had flown Cerri over to pull her out of her depression. Since then, she’d been up with the sun and spent every waking moment training, exercising, and working herself to the point of exhaustion. The results spoke for themselves. Her knee, beyond what the doctors had thought possible was nearly back up to strength.

As it had turned out, the week she spent in bed feeling sorry for herself had done wonders for her healing. It had given the swelling time to go down and the ligaments the proper time to settle.

Now, Neo was determined. She was going to be back out in the world and she was resolute not to lose a step.

Rain watched her from the door of the weight room. She was glad to see Neo out of her funk, she really was. But as soon as Neo came out of it, Rain seemed doomed to fall in and take her place. As the days went by, she saw the pain on Neo’s face, the anguish she was going through to get back to what she had before…and it terrified her.

“She was always so determined.” A voice offered from behind her. She turned to see Reginald standing beside her looking on at his former charge. “She pushed herself and pushed herself to the point of obsession. I can’t tell you how many times she’d hurt herself just training.” He shook his head. “She has no sense of proportion. She continues to think she is without limit.”

“She’s the strongest person I’ve ever met,” Rain said. “It puts a lot of things into perspective.” She added sadly.

“What do you mean?” He asked her.

“Look at her.” Rain motioned to her.

Reginald did as she said. When he was her Watcher, he could see the girl’s potential, he really could. Back there and back then, Alice was an angry teenage girl that was mad at, well, everything. He could see that it was a condition that hadn’t lessened over time. He couldn’t argue, however with the fact that since ceasing to be Alice and becoming the dreaded Neo Knight – a moniker that he found to be utterly preposterous but Quentin insisted that all of those in his employ refer to her as such on threat of immediate dismissal – that the girl was far, far above what she had been. But he had said it to her once and if anything else, her current condition expounded upon the fact in grand fashion… Alice wasn’t a slayer. No amount of training or education would make it so. “She pushes herself toward a fruitless end.”

Rain wasn’t listening. She was too busy staring at Neo’s face. Her love was in excruciating pain. “If this can happen to her if the war can do this to someone like Neo…” She shook her head. “What chance do I have?”

“Take a good look at her, Rain. Take a good, _hard_ look. See her face? See that grimace? See that anguish?” Rain stared intently. “That is the look of a woman that doesn’t know how to give in. She doesn’t know how to surrender. She doesn’t know how to admit defeat.”

Rain cocked her head to the side and just watched the display.

Meanwhile, Reginald continued on. “For years, she’s been like this. Believing that she was without limit, without plateau. She would come upon a barrier and either scale it or crash haphazardly through it, never once accepting that she was only human, only capable of so much.” He shook his head and sighed. “And look where it’s gotten her.”

Rain slowly smiled. “Yeah,” she said, nodding her agreement. “Look where it’s gotten her.”

“Broken, beaten, and needing to work herself into exhaustion. And for what? So she can start the cycle anew.”

“Fierce, determined, and proving that limit is just a word,” Rain said, turning to regard him. “For what, you ask? To protect those that mean the world to her. To show that nothing is beyond her. She’s run that track as many times as she’s had to and she’ll keep doing it for as long as she’s able.”

“Until it kills her,” Reginald said, sadly. “Because she doesn’t know when to say when.”

“No, she doesn’t. But that isn’t what Neo is. That isn’t what she’s about. She’s more than just a person to us, Reginald. Neo Knight might be the name she uses but she’s…” Rain looked at the girl. “She’s become more than that. Neo Knight is an ideal. She’s become a state of mind that limitations aren’t something the universe puts on you. They’re something you put on yourself. Yeah, there’ll be setbacks.” She pointed to the girl. “Case in point. But the same could be said for everything in life. She, _we all_ , refuse to accept that.”

“She’ll just end up getting hurt again,” he said. “I worry about her.”

“No,” Rain said. “You don’t worry about her, Reginald.” She turned to stare at him. “Despite what you might tell her and tell yourself, you never worried about her. You _pitied_ her. You pitied her because you knew, as you watched her train and fight to be what she is, that she would never be chosen, she’d never be _the one_.” Rain looked back to Neo. “So she made herself something else. She isn’t the chosen one. She’s something far, far more dangerous.”

“And that thinking is what I don’t understand,” Reginald said to her.

“I’m sure you don’t,” Rain said, stepping away from him toward Neo.

Reginald sighed and shook his head yet again. “Foolish.”

“Reginald?” Quentin said from behind the elder Watcher. As the man turned to him, the boss smiled. “Can I have a word?” The man nodded and followed as Quentin began walking along the corridor. “She makes a very speedy recovery.”

“She always was a quick healer,” Reggie returned.

“It would seem her bitterness toward you hadn’t lessened overmuch.”

“She has always been one to carry a grudge.”

Quentin nodded. “Still, she is quite impressive.”

“She always has been. For a girl of her age, she’s quite-,”

“I watched her yesterday working with the free weights,” Quentin said, cutting him off. “She was able to press nearly twelve hundred pounds” He shook his head. “Incredible. I’d say that’s nearly slayer levels of physical strength, wouldn’t you?” He flicked his eyes to Reginald. “She was able to run at a dead sprint for a little over a mile in just over three and a half minutes. Did you know that? That’s faster than an Olympic class runner.”

“Yes, Quentin. I know how physically impressive she is.” He turned and looked at his immediate superior. “I was the one that trained her.”

“No,” Quentin said, shaking his head. “You were not. You were the one that consistently pounded into her head what she would never have and could never be.” He locked eyes with his subordinate. “She has grown into a superb hunter despite you, Reginald, not _because_ of you.”

Reginald was incensed at the statement. “I spent nine years of my life looking after that ungrateful little-,”

“Yes, yes. You were very clinical. Back there and back then, that is what we wanted. But things change, Reginald,” Quentin said. “I never thought I’d see the day but since working with young Alexia, I’m seeing things from a fresh perspective. Policies that were in place before are being reviewed and our role as merely Watchers must change.”

“What are you saying?” Reginald asked him.

“I have spoken at length with Neo.” Quentin began.

“I still don’t see why she insists on being called by that ridiculous name. Her name is Alice. It was the name her father gave her. There is nothing wrong with it.”

“It doesn’t matter. She chooses to be addressed as Neo and as long as I am in charge of this organization, we will extend her that courtesy. I dare say she has more than earned it.” He snapped. “Neo and girls like her walk a fine edge between bravery and madness, Reginald. She and Rain are fighters in a war we know much about but have taken no truly active part in. We are not out there on the front lines, trying to stem the burgeoning tide. They are.”

“And they shouldn’t be,” Reginald said. “There are what, four, five slayers now? _They_ should be the ones fighting. Not little girls like that.”

“That is a matter of opinion. And I am fairly certain that, though you are entitled to it, neither Rain nor Neo could be bothered to give a single solitary damn for it.” Quentin stepped up to the man. “I am only going to say this once, Reginald. If I ever see, hear, or hear _of_ you undermining my potentials’ confidence in themselves again, I will more than just have you dismissed.” He narrowed his eyes.  “I will have you _terminated_. Do I make myself absolutely clear?”

Reginald knew enough about Quentin Travers to know that the man wouldn’t speak unless his words were the unfettered truth. He was rather politics, that much was true but he tended not to say anything he didn’t mean. “Crystal,” Reggie said, nodding.

“Good,” Quentin said. “I want you to keep clear of Neo for the duration of her visit. After she has left, we will be reviewing your performance and see if a man of your…” Quentin looked him up and down. “ _Advanced_ experience still has a place among us.” With that, he turned and left the man standing alone in the hallway and moved back into the gym.

Reginald knew his career as a Watcher was officially over. He sighed, lowered his head and walked to his apartment. He was saddened. But he also knew that Quentin was right. He was incredibly proud of Alice. The girl had come a long, long way since he first took her in. He’d always been sparing with praise, quick with criticism, and all too eager to point out her shortcomings.

Over time, he had come to care for her a great deal. How could he not? He’d watched her grow up. But as much as he wished to, he could just never bring himself to admit it. He’d always bit his tongue when he wanted more than anything to tell her how much she had meant to him. But he just…never did.

And then came a point where it was just too late. The night she ran out of the house to deal with a nest that he knew full well she wasn’t ready for was the longest night of his life. When he found the crypt filled with dust and blood, when his eyes fell upon the carbon fiber crossbow covered in scarlet, his world fell apart. For two days, he sat by the phone, waiting for any kind of word. He called hospitals, police stations, all of Alice’s friends but no one had seen hide nor hair of her. He was a man lost.

On the third day, he’d given up hope. He’d clung to the possibility that she was just badly hurt and would be hiding somewhere, recuperating trying to make her way across the city. But finally, he accepted the truth. There were only two options. And he could neither live with nor deal with either. So he contacted the Council and returned home. It took a day to get his belongings packed.

He didn’t know that as he was climbing onto the plane, as the movers pulled away from his house, taking what he owned to the airport, Alice was being driven up the block by her newest friend.

When he found out, he still couldn’t say anything. He longed to call her, to talk to her and tell her how sorry he was. _It’s not the right time_ , he kept telling himself. So he put it off time and again. Always promising to call but never doing it.

And nearly three years later, here she was. The most feared entity in the supernatural war, not because he had taught her to be. But because that’s what she had _chosen_ to be.

He suddenly understood that Rain and Quentin were both right. She was who she was in spite of his words, not because of them. “I failed you,” he said, shaking his head. “I don’t deserve to be a Watcher.”

 

Neo trained every day to improve, to be more than she was before. “You gotta do better than that, Phil,” she said through clenched teeth. She lay on her back with her hands behind her head doing crunches as the large man repeated brought his hands down across her abdomen.

He gave her another hard set of shots then stepped back, shaking his hands. “Your stomach is like bloody concrete,” he said to her with a smile. He lifted his eyes and looked over at Quentin who was likewise smiling.

Neo flicked her eyes to the man. Every day since he spoke with Reginald on her behalf and told him to steer clear of her, he had watched her. Sometimes he would sharply criticize a careless feint or a botched parry. “You know better.” He would say, sternly. “Again!” When she did something particularly difficult or exceptionally well, she would get a proud smile and a single nod. It was that smile and nod that seemed to motivate her. Normally, she wouldn’t have a single fuck to give about what the man thought but there was something about the way Quentin watched her that made her want to impress him. She _wanted_ him to be proud of her.

She lifted her legs and kicked herself to her feet. “Time to spar.”

“Not today,” Quentin said to her. “Follow me, please.” He motioned her to come with him.

Neo nodded and moved over to him. “I’m getting stronger. I used to flinch really bad when he laced into me.”

“I know,” Quentin said to her. “You have made remarkable progress.”

“Thanks,” Neo said to him. “I don’t ever want you to regret having spent time and effort on me.”

“I don’t think that’s a concern,” he said to her. “I took the liberty of having something prepared for you.”

She looked at him. “What?” she asked him.

He said nothing as he led her up to the room that she shared with Talia and Rain. “It’s right in here,” he said, opening the door. Sitting in the middle of the floor was a mannequin with various accouterments adorning it. “Despite having a very good grasp on weapons, you prefer to use your body as your weapon of choice. With that in mind, I’ve been having our fabricators working round the clock.” He moved over and circled the dummy. “These should help you make an even more fearsome name for yourself.” He stood beside it and looked at her. “Thus far, you’ve put the fear of God into that which you hunt. With these items, you can be that God.”

Neo was quiet for a moment. She stepped up and looked it all over. She started with the gloves, pulling them free of the mannequin and sliding them over her hands. They were heavy leather, with silver plates riveted to the back. Silver studs lined each finger. Upon closer inspection, she could see small crosses laser-etched into the studs. They were a perfect fit for her hands. She could also tell that they were weighted. She flexed her fingers and revealed in the creak of the new leather. Next, she pulled free the silver cross-covered elbow caps. They, like the fingers of the gloves, were studded. She pulled them on and secured them snugly. She could move them around and they felt good. She had caps for her knees as well that matched. Lastly, was her boots. They reached her knees and had heavy buckles for the sides. The entire sole was lined with silver as was the toe cap and heel. Like everything else, they fit perfectly.

“You choose to go fisticuffs with nearly everything you meet. Now, you can do so with even more authority,” he said to her. “Do you like them?”

She looked at herself. “I _love_ it,” she said, happily. She looked him in the eyes. “I don’t know what to say.”

“A rarity for you, I’m given to understand,” he said to her. “I’m just glad to have an exceptional girl like you on our side.”

She stepped forward and threw her arms around him. “You’re a good man, Quentin. I’m glad I came.”

He held her securely. “As am I, Neo. As am I.”

 

Talia and Neo were smiling widely. Rain, like Neo, had spent the better part of the past two months working her butt off. She was bound and determined not to be a liability. Thus far, Rain had been able to keep up but only just. With the kind of training she was receiving, her fear of being a detriment to the group was quickly fading.

The woman she’d been training with was a younger Watcher with a penchant for hand to hand combat. Rain, as it turned out, was one of the best archers any of them had ever seen. Her combat skills, unfortunately, began and ended with the bow and arrow. But the girl _was_ a quick study. And having a wonderful memory meant she learned new combat techniques almost preternaturally fast and was highly adaptable to almost any opponent.

The pair stood in the middle of the mats trading blows rapidly. Rain was nowhere near Neo’s level but the potential was there. She was extremely fast but lacked any kind of stopping power. She could, however, take a hit and shrug it off. A lot of what she had came from her free running.

“She’s getting so much better,” Talia said.

“Yeah, she is,” Neo said, nodding. “She’s also packed on a bit of muscle. She was one thirty-five when we first got here. She’s up to one forty-two, now.”

“It shows,” Talia said. “She’s a lot firmer when we’re in bed.”

“I know,” Neo said, happily. “I guess we head out the day after tomorrow.”

Talia nodded. “How do you feel?”

“You know…when this all started, I really did think I might be done. I thought that maybe this was it, you know?”

“We knew it wasn’t,” Talia said to her. “We just couldn’t find a way to make you believe it, too.”

“I let you two down,” Neo said. “Don’t argue with it. I did. I know it. You know it. I’d given up. Now, though? I don’t think the world is ready for me now. I’m stronger than I’ve ever been, I’m tougher than I’ve ever been…I’m just plain out better.” She looked down at her elbow. She still had a scar where the doctors cut her open but she felt nothing but her natural strength.

“Do you think you’ll try and get in touch with Katarina for a rematch?”

“Oh _hell_ no,” Neo said, shaking her head. “Been there, done that and am _not_ eager to go there again. I don’t care how strong or good I get, I am not crossing that bridge ever again. I’ll jump my happy ass off the fuckin’ cliff and swim before that shit happens.”

Talia smiled and turned back to their love. “Glad to hear it.”

Neo nodded. “Hey, Rain? You knock this bitch out, we’re gonna handcuff you to bed and make you scream yourself hoarse. How’s that sound?”

The free runner swallowed and went at the young Watcher with abandon. “Sorry,” she said as her fist arced in rapidly.


	52. Chapter 52

Neo looked out the window of the plane as they taxied to a stop. “Now that’s a sight for sore eyes,” she said, smiling. Talia and Rain both followed her gaze and saw what they thought was Quan’s Ford van. “Did she paint her rig?” The elder potential asked. “Those new graphics look pretty good. Is it _lifted_?”

“I don’t remember it having quite that much ground clearance,” Talia said, nodding. The three of them stepped out and down the stairs.

Quan exited the rig and moved around to the group. “Welcome home, ladies,” she said, happily.

“Missed ya, girl,” Neo said, hugging her tightly.

Rain was next. “Hey, Quan,” she said, smiling.

The big woman pulled back and looked the pair of them over. “Did you two pack on a few pounds?”

Neo nodded and threw her arms around her girlfriends. “Yep.” She lifted Rain’s t-shirt. “Check it out. Girl’s smugglin’ a six pack.” The girl giggled and playfully swatted at Neo’s hands.

Quan nodded. “Nice.” She pulled the sliding door open and helped the girls with their luggage. “The group is eager to see you guys again.”

“The weird sisters still here?”

“Nah. They headed home a few days ago,” Quan offered.

Neo took her place in the passenger seat. Talia and Rain both slid into the back. “It’s really nice in here.” Rain admitted, looking around.

“You did a lot of work didn’t you?” Neo asked the big woman.

Quan grinned widely as she took her place behind the wheel. “I redid the interior. We also picked up another trailer just for our gear.” She motioned around. “As you can see, this thing isn’t big enough anymore.”

Neo looked into the back. “Oh, shit. You set this bitch up for hunting, didn’t you?”

“I beefed up the suspension, put a bigger power plant under the hood and retooled the wiring.” She turned the key and fired the van up. The motor rumbled to life.

“So she’s four-wheel drive?” Neo asked. Quan gave her a nod. “What’s she got under the hood, now?”

“Five-liter Coyote Ford motor. Gives me five hundred and seven horses at the rear wheel. Thirty two valve, dual overhead cams pushes out about four hundred and seventy-five foot-pounds of torque.” She mashed the gas and roasted the tires off, laying a pair of black stripes across the tarmac as they went. “She’s a beast, now.”

“You should be very proud of yourself,” Talia said, patting her shoulder.

“Fuckin’ A,” Neo said, nodding. “Now it isn’t such a piece of shit.”

“You can fuckin’ walk, you know,” Quan said, frowning. “You don’t get to make fun of my van anymore.”

Neo chuckled and leaned back. “So how did everything go with Max fronting the band?”

“It went alright. People were okay with it, given what happened to you. Holocene is really eager to get you back on stage, though. Damn near rioted when they found out you were gonna be off the roster for two damn months. Brian had to give out free drinks to calm people down.” Quan offered.

“Oh, I’ll bet that pissed him off,” Neo said.

“Who’s Brian?” Rain asked, looking at the pair.

“He’s the owner of the club we have a steady gig at. Every Friday and Saturday we play Holocene in downtown Portland. He said people were pissed when we took time off to go on tour but were ecstatic that we were coming back.” Neo chuckled. “I figured with a guitarist like Max playing, they’d have been thrilled.”

“Max is fantastic on the strings but compared to you, she can’t sing worth shit,” Quan said. “People want you back.”

“Well, here I am back again, bigger than life and twice as ugly,” Neo said with a grin.

“That is a _terrible_ song,” Talia said, shaking her head. Neo turned to look at her and Quan eyed her through the rearview mirror.

“I’m surprised you even know what song I’m talking about,” Neo admitted.

“I happen to like Jackyl,” Talia said. “Not really a fan of their _Cut the Crap_ album but the rest of their catalog isn’t terrible. It’s relatively fun, to be honest,” Talia said, staring into Neo’s eyes.

“Huh,” Neo said, shrugging. “Wouldn’t a thought. Learn something new every day.”

Rain looked out the front window. “I’ve always thought this city was cool.”

“Portland, Oregon. Six hundred and ten thousand artistic hillbillies,” Neo said with a smile. She rolled the window down and leaned her head out. “I’ve missed her.”

Twenty minutes later, they pulled off the road and onto the large lot that the warehouse occupied. Quan rolled to a stop in front of a massive chain link gate. “What the fuck is this?” Neo asked, looking at the huge fence.

“All of the property around us has been bought up,” Quan said. “Alexia expensed it to mark our property line.” She hit a button on the visor. The gate slid sideways. “So far we’ve had two companies asking if we wanted to sell.”

“You tell ‘em to go fuck themselves?” Neo asked as they pulled through.

“No, Neo, I didn’t,” Quan said. “I told them thanks but no thanks. We’re not interested in selling at this time.”

“So you told them to go fuck themselves with much less force and vulgarity.” Talia offered. Rain giggled at the exchange.

“Lot nicer than I would have been,” Neo said.

“Knowing you, you’d have beat the shit out of them for even asking,” Quan said.

The potential wanted to argue but she couldn’t, so she didn’t even try. “You know…” Neo looked at the ground the fence occupied. “I didn’t realize we owned so much of this.”

“Twenty acres, according to Cerri,” Quan said.

Neo sighed at the thought of the young drummer. “I owe her everything. I gotta do something really nice for her.” She wiped tears from her eyes. “If not for her, I’d have given up.”

Quan smiled brightly. “That’s my girl,” she said, proudly. The van rumbled up to the huge bay door and into the warehouse as the metal squealed open. The three remaining members of Demon Queller were standing about, waiting for them.

Cerri ran up to Neo and hugged her tight. “Welcome back,” she said, happily.

Neo lifted her in her powerful arms and spun her around. “Would never have been back if not for you, kiddo. I owe you the world.”

Cerri giggled. “Prove it,” she said, leaning back and staring at the girl. “Buy me ice cream.”

“To show you how much what you did means to me, I would buy you a damn ice cream _shop_ ,” Neo said, kissing Cerri’s forehead.

“Welcome home.” Sadiira offered, hugging the potential and her Watcher. They both then turned to Rain and pulled her in, warmly.

“Welcome to the family,” Nadiira whispered to her. “And thank you for being there for Neo. She needs you.”

Rain was flabbergasted at the reception. To the best her knowledge, Nadiira hadn’t said two words to her since they met. “Thank you.”

Neo stepped into the middle of the warehouse and sighed, taking it all in. She then looked at Rain. “Welcome to Casa de Queller.” She then began showing her around, indicating all of the different areas for training, band practice, the twins’ workstation, and Cerri’s little corner. “Sorry about the space issue,” she said, pushing open the door to the room she occupied. “Before it was just me, then Tal showed up. Looks like it’s gonna be the three of us, now.” She flicked the light on. “It ain’t the biggest and…” She stopped, looking around the room. “This is _not_ the room I left behind. And that isn’t the bed that was in here before.”

“Didn’t you have a double?” Talia asked, stepping inside.

“Yeah. This looks like a Queen,” Neo said peering about. “Where’s my dresser?”

Cerri stepped in behind them all. “I redid your room.” She moved to the closet doors. “Before they were sliding. Now, they’re center swivel.” She demonstrated by turning both doors on a central pivot point. “Since you didn’t have many clothes that required being hung up, I went ahead and installed hangers on the doors. And look.” She pushed both panels aside on a track, securing them both against the wall. “This gives Talia and Rain space to put their clothes.” She then pointed to a low three-foot high shelf along the bottom of the closet. “You’ve got six drawers here.” She then pointed to the bed. “And three more under the bed. Should be plenty of room for all of the clothes that you don’t need to hang.” She then stepped over to the wall that sported floor to ceiling ergonomic cube shelving. “And here we have baskets for all of your other stuff.”

Neo, Rain, and Talia were impressed. “You really went all out,” Rain said. “I’m betting this room was a pig sty before you got a hold of it.”

“I had to move everything out of here to put down new carpet,” Cerri said. “I tried shampooing the original. No joy.”

“Yeah, they were pretty bad,” Neo said, rubbing the back of her head and smiling.

“No,” Cerri said, looking at the girl. “A rug you spill kool-aid on is pretty bad. This carpet was toxic. Should have had hazmat suits when Anna and I pulled it out. It smelled like red bull, feet, and teriyaki chicken.”

“That’s a rather unpleasant collection of aromas,” Talia said, shaking her head. She stepped over and hugged Cerri. “You did a wonderful job in here, sweetie. Thank you.”

“No shit, Cerri. You hit it out of the park with this one. I owe you,” Neo said, nodding.

“Ice cream,” Cerri said. She poked Neo in the ribs, several times. “Ice cream, ice cream, ice cream.”

The potential giggled. “Okay, okay. Ice cream it is. We’ll all load up and head to Coldstone out in Gresham. They’re open for another few hours. Can we at least take showers and get cleaned up first?”

“Yes. Yes, you may,” Cerri said. “But just showers. No funny business. You can do _that_ when we get home.” She made for the door.

 

After getting situated and grabbing showers, everyone piled into the Van and headed for the east side of Portland. “God, it’s good to be back,” Neo said, watching the city fly by. She turned to the group sitting in the back. “And it’s good to have the band back together.”

“We missed you,” Sadiira said. “Even she did, though she’d never admit it.” She thumbed at her sister.

“Did you miss us?” Neo asked the quiet girl.

“Of course I did.” Nadiira returned. A smile threatened her lips.

“Whoa, better watch out. You crack a smile and people are gonna think you’re human. I don’t think Skynet would approve,” Neo said to her.

“Fuck you,” Nadiira said, smirking and chuckling.

“Besides that,” Rain piped in. “Skynet would want its creation to show emotion. Better to infiltrate our society and get closer to its target and eliminate it.” She turned to Nadiira. “I think she’s onto you.”

Nadiira looked at her. “I am no longer under the control of Skynet. I have been reprogrammed and sent back in time for a different mission.”

“What is your mission, Terminator?” Talia asked.

“Neo knows,” Nadiira said, pointing.

“Neo?” The Watcher asked.

Neo grinned and turned on the stereo. “To bring metal to the masses, bitches.” She cranked the volume up. _Rebel Yell_ by Billy Idol began blasting from the speakers. The girls all began bobbing their heads and singing along.

It was just past dark when they pulled to a stop in front of the ice cream parlor. “Best ice cream in town,” Cerri said, happily.

They made their way inside, blissful that the place was empty. Cerri, of course, was the first to order. She stepped aside with her massive spumoni waffle cone. She’d gotten Butterfinger, Snickers, and Heath mixed in. “You’re going to be diabetic _tonight_ ,” Talia said to the girl.

“Mmm,” she responded.

“Proof positive that she hasn’t got fuck one to give,” Neo said, chuckling. “Gimme Rocky Road with Oreos and Reeses Peanut Butter Cups.”

“Gimme Chocolate Chip Mint with Junior Mints and Peanuts,” Quan asked the girl.

“Chocolate with Almonds, Peanuts, and Cashews, please,” Talia ordered. Rain ordered the same.

“I’ll have Neopolitan with Reese’s Pieces, Peanut M&M’s, and Junior Mints. She’ll have Neopolitan with Butterfinger, Heath, and Kit Kat.” Sadiira requested and thumbed toward her sister respectively.

Soon the girls had a pair of tables pushed together and were sitting about, enjoying their cones. All of them were smiling broadly as Cerri dug into hers. “Christ, sweetie,” Quan said, offering her a napkin. “You’re supposed to eat it, not spelunk in it.”

“Sorry,” Cerri said, wiping her face. “It’s been a long time since we’ve all come here together.”

“It hasn’t been that long,” Neo said.

“Halloween,” Cerri said. “Just after we took care of that nest that was using that haunted house as a base of operations in Estacada.”

Neo snorted and shook her head. “That was a blast. Credit where credit is due, those guys put together a pretty damn good haunted house.”

“Well, yes. When you’re a true to life monster…”  Talia stopped as she saw Neo’s eyebrow raised. “What?”

“True to life monster?” Neo asked her.

“Vampires,” Talia said. “They’re real monsters.”

“They’re pussies with no tan and fucked up dietary habits,” Neo countered. “Those guys in Utah? _Those_ were real monsters. Definitely gave my ass a wake-up call.”

“I gotta ask. You back to a hundred percent?” Quan asked.

“Better. I’m lifting more, taking more, running faster…” She furrowed her brow. “Why do you ask?”

Quan pointed to the door. “Oh. No reason.”

Neo followed her line of vision and saw a trio of boys enter the shop. One of them closed the door and reached over, turning off the neon ‘OPEN’ sign. Neo grinned widely. “If God were in this room right now, I’d fuck him senseless as a thank you,” she said, rising to her feet. “Hold my cone,” she said, offering it to the girls. Talia took it, sighing.

Rain likewise rose, handing her cone to Quan. “We’ll be right back.” She fell in step beside Neo. The potential looked her and nodded. “Got the training. Might as well see how well it paid off.”

“I hear you,” Neo said, leaning in close. “Keep loose. Make him fight your fight.”

“How do you know they’re vamps?”

“No reflections,” Neo said, pointing to the window. “Got a stake?”

“Nope. You?” Rain returned.

“Chairs are wood,” Neo said. “We’ve got an arsenal.”

“Then let’s do this,” Rain said. Both potentials grasped a chair as they approached and attacked in unison. Two of the vampires went down as the chairs smashed apart across their backs.

The third turned to them, stunned. “What the fuck?”

Neo quickly stepped forward and gripped his throat, lifting him from the ground. “I am _so_ happy to see you three right now.” She spun and drove the vampire through a table to the floor with enough force to crack the tile. He let out a whimper.

Rain snickered at the display. Her eyes flashed over as the pair of vampires began rising. She snatched a piece of the broken chair and slammed it home into both demons’ chests in rapid succession. They were dust a heartbeat later. She tossed the fragment aside and crossed her arms, watching her girlfriend work.

“She’s gonna be at this a while,” Quan said, taking another lick of her ice cream.

Talia traded Neo’s cone for Rain’s. She then moved over and offered it to the girl. “Quan is right. Alice is going to be at this for quite some time.”

“Yeah, I know,” Rain said. She turned to regard the girl behind the counter. “Don’t worry. She does this all the time. We’ll cover the mess.” She nodded, dumbly.

Neo, for her part, was having a ball. “You have no idea who I am, do you?” She asked as she hauled him back up into the air.

“I do,” he said suddenly terrified. “Word on the street was you got benched. That the Hellions put you out of commission in Utah.”

Neo furrowed her brow. “Look at me, motherfucker. Do I _look_ like I’ve been knocked out of the game?” She pulled him in, snarling in his face. “Not fuckin’ likely, asshole. I’m fuckin’ Neo Knight, bitch. You ain’t never gonna get rid of me. I’m too dirty for heaven and Lucifer doesn’t feel like giving up his throne. Guess where that leaves my happy ass?” She hurled him out through the plate glass window and into the night. “In your Goddamn face.” She leaped out after him. He rolled onto his stomach and tried getting to his feet. He made it a few steps before a vise-like grip seized his hair. “Where the fuck you think you’re goin'?”

Quan sighed and moved up to the counter. “Can I get this put into one of those waffle bowls?” She pulled a five out of her wallet. “This should cover it. Then could you put it in the freezer?” The girl just stared at her. “She’s relieving some stress. It’s her therapy. She needs it, trust me. It’s been a while for her.”

“They-they-they just disappeared.” The worker responded, terrified.

“Yeah. Vampires do that,” Cerri said. “About that waffle bowl…”

“I don’t understand-,”

“Look,” Cerridwen said. “Take a good look at her. See her throwing that two hundred and fifty-pound man around? She finds out you ignored us and kept staring like an idiot, she’s going to be really angry…” Cerri pointed at the girl. “with _you_. Do you really want _that_ pissed off at you?”

The girl quickly did what Quan asked her to do. Meanwhile, Quan was on the phone with Rite. “Yeah, she’s pretty much trashed the place. We’re gonna need to expense it.” She looked around the building. “A few chairs, a couple of tables and the front window.” She paused. “Yeah, you’re right. That is pretty tame for Neo. She’s mellowed a bit.” She grinned. “Thanks, Rite.” She ended the call. She looked to the girl behind the counter. “Our employers are already working with your insurance company.”

Neo drilled the vampire across the mush, knocking him to the dirt. She lifted him back up and hammered him in the gut, repeatedly, cracking ribs with every shot. “The band had to go on the road because you motherfuckers been ducking us.” She lifted him over her head and brought him down, back first across her knee. His spine crunched against her thigh. He let out a strangled grunt and rolled to the ground. She rose to her feet and nodded. “Jesus, I’m not even winded. This is awesome.”

“Just…just end it,” he said his voice filled with pain.

She reached down and, once again, hauled him to his feet. “Rememberin’ why all you motherfuckers are scared of me, ain’t ya?” She asked, grinning. She reached behind her back and pulled a massive Bowie knife from beneath her jacket. She slowly slid it into the side of his neck. “I want you to deliver a message to all the rest of the demons in that dank, shit-filled abyss you call home. Let ‘em know that Neo Knight is back on the clock. And’s she’s gonna be clockin’ some serious overtime. Got two months to make up for.” She ripped her blade through his neck, tearing his head free. He was dust a second later.

“Just like ridin’ a biker,” Neo said, nodding. She looked around and saw people staring at her. “You can relax,” she said, sliding her blade back into its sheath. “Neo is back in Portland.” She turned and jumped back through the window. “Where’s my ice cream?” The girl behind the counter quickly handed to her. “What’s this?” she asked, looking down at it.

“Put it in a bowl until you were done playing with your friend,” Quan said. “Come on. We’ve freaked this girl out enough.” She looked at the employee. “Thanks for putting up with us. Have a nice night.”

She waved slowly as the group left the shop.

“ _God_ that was fun,” Neo said, taking a bite of her ice cream. She looked at Talia and Rain. “You two are gonna get tore up from the floor up tonight. Just wanted you to be ready for that.”

“Slaying that vampire get you a little worked up, did it?” Talia asked, smiling.

“No. Seeing a bucket of KFC gets me worked up. That shit made me fuckin’ horny,” Neo said. “Huge difference.”

“Oh, look,” Rain said, pointing. “A KFC.”

Quan flipped the blinker on the van, chuckling.

“Keep it up, Running Girl. You’re gonna be walking bull-legged come tomorrow,” Neo said, shaking her head.

“What makes you think any of us are gonna be leaving the bedroom tomorrow?” Rain said, her tone firm.

Neo turned to look at her, noting the raised eyebrow of challenge. She then looked at Talia who seemed just as surprised by the response as she was. “God, I love you,” Neo said, happily. “Gonna need a lot of chicken.”

“I like chicken,” Cerri said, happily. “Crisssssspeeeee,” she added, bouncing in her seat.


	53. Chapter 53

Neo hiked up the leather pants and buttoned them. “Fuck me, I gotta get a new pair of these.” She ran her hands over her stomach. “I put on fuckin’ weight in London. Like a pork roast in fuckin’ Reynold’s Wrap over here.” She lifted the studded leather belt from her bag and cinched it around her waist. She pulled on the black leather brassiere and tugged it around…and immediately noticed a problem. “Oh, God dammit.” She turned to Quan. The girl had just slipped on her tattered jeans and her half-tank. “Gimme a hand with this, Quan. My fuckin’ tits are too damn big.”

Talia sat at the vanity in their dressing room, applying her own makeup. Each of the girls had a specific look they went for. Neo was the band’s slutty lead singer; all leather and sex appeal. Quan was a combination of southern girl next door meets biker slut. The twins were the hardcore badass types and Cerri, as always played up the Lolita jailbait role. Talia, they had all decided filled the roll of the sexy school teacher. She currently was wearing a white blouse with a black lace bra underneath. The buttons of her shirt were down enough to show off her rather delicious cleavage. She was wearing a black miniskirt with a rather significant slit up the side. She also wore a pair of black rimmed glasses and had her hair in a loose bun with a few locks hanging free. She wasn’t sure about the look at first but having seen it, she felt rather sexy, to be honest. “I don’t ever want to hear you say that again, Alice.” She looked at the girl with a glare. “Do I make myself clear?”

Rain sat on the arm of the sofa, watching them all get dressed. She laughed at the banter the group shared. Talia, who’d only been on stage with the girls a few times, fit right in. It was their first show back at Holocene since leaving town for their tour. She’d been lucky enough to see them several times and loved watching them. Before she’d met up with them, as far back as two years ago, she’d catch bootleg camera phone videos of their concerts. Even back then she enjoyed their stuff. They were bar-none her favorite band.

Neo sighed. “Yeah, yeah. My fuckin’ _chest_ is too big. How about that?”

“Well, you did put on like what? Ten pounds?” Quan asked as she rose to her feet and moved over to the girl.

“Twelve,” Neo said, shaking her head. “All in my upper body, too.”

“Christ. What did you weigh before?” Quan took hold of the edges of the leather and pulled tightly, clasping it behind Neo’s back. She turned her around and smiled. She poked the tops of Neo’s breasts. “Got some serious spillage there, Dolly.”

Neo sighed and nodded. “Fuckin’ tell me about it. Looks like bread and shit.” She adjusted the bra a bit, settling her breasts a little better. “There we go.” She saw Quan give her an adorable pout. She poked her in her lip. “Wah. It was one sixty-seven. Now I’m a solid one seventy-nine, one eighty depending on the scale. What are you at, Rain?”

“One forty-two,” Rain said, kicking her feet. “I’m probably the lightest of the group.”

“You got me beat by thirty pounds,” Cerri said buttoning her little white Japanese school girl shirt.

“Well, yeah. But you’re like, two feet tall,” Rain said to her.

“I will fucking smack you,” Cerri said, narrowing her eyes. “I’m four foot eleven, thank you.”

“And adorable as fuck in that getup,” Quan said to her. “And two forty-five, last I checked.”

“One fifty,” Sadiira said, motioning to her and her sister. They were both clad in camouflage cargo pants and drab green tank tops.

“Alright, Talia,” Neo said, grinning at the woman. “Time to embarrass yourself. How much junk you got in your trunk?”

Talia was quiet for a moment. She then turned to Neo. “I’m not getting out of this, am I?”

“Nope,” Neo said, grinning. “I happen to already know but I’m not tellin’. You gotta spread the news.”

“One forty-four, dead.” She looked to Rain. “Two pounds on you, dear.”

“That’s alright. You also have a bigger butt.” The girl said, grinning. “Looks good on you.”

“Thank you,” Talia said, smiling.

Brian, the owner of the club rapped on the door. Neo stepped over and pulled it open. “Hey, Bry,” she said, stepping aside.

“You ladies ready to rip it up?” he asked, offering Neo his fist.

“Aren’t we always?” Neo answered, bumping it. “This is Talia. She’s our violin player.”

 “You have a violin player?” he asked. “That’s new.”

“I don’t always play with them but I figured tonight, I might as well do their set.” She took his hand as he offered it. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Right on.” He looked to Neo. “I’m not paying you more.”

Neo chuckled. “Cheap ass,” she ribbed him. “We live out of each other’s pockets anyway.” She motioned to the other unfamiliar girl in the room. “This is Rain. She’s an official groupie.”

Brian laughed and likewise shook hands. “She’s kidding, right?”

“Nope,” Rain said. “Talia and I are Neo’s girlfriends. She’s way too much woman for just one of us.”

He turned to Neo. “Lucky fuckin’ bitch.”

“I know,” Neo said, grinning. “We on?”

“Yeah. Molly Head is just finishing up.”

“Ugh. Why the fuck do you let her play here?” Neo asked. “Bitch sucks grade A monkey sack.”

He laughed outright. “She works cheap,” he said. “And they don’t seem to mind her.”

“Look on the bright side. She makes us look a hell of a lot better,” Cerri said as she finished putting her hair up in her customary pigtails.

“Fair enough,” Neo said. “Is it cool if Rain kicks it while we play?”

“No problem,” he said, motioning Rain with him. “I’ll make sure you have a good seat. Drinks on the house tonight.” He looked at the rest of the girls. “And only tonight. A present for having you back at the helm.” He gave Neo a wink.

“Thanks,” Neo said, slapping his ass. “We’ll give you a good show.”

“Always do,” Brian said.

Neo shot in and kissed Rain firmly. “Enjoy the show, babe.”

Talia did likewise. “Have fun.”

“I will. Good luck tonight.” She left with Brian.

“You guys are on in five,” he said, before closing the door.

 

Rain made it out and could see the crowd was at a fever pitch. The girl on stage looked like a prototypical Jewel wannabe. She had long sandy blonde hair, loose-fitting flower-power bell-bottom jeans and a t-shirt that looked several sizes too big for her. And she looked like she hadn’t slept in days if the baggage she was carrying under eyes was anything to go by. She sat on a stool with her acoustic guitar crooning. None of the people were paying attention to her as she sang. Rain hated the whole ‘folk singer-songwriter’ style of music. It had its place but in a night club on a Friday night most definitely _wasn’t it_.

She shook her head and followed Brian as he took her to a table a bit in the back but where she could see the stage. “Thank you,” she said offering him a genuine smile.

“No problem. You’re not twenty-one, are you?” he asked her.

“No. I’m seventeen,” Rain said. “I’ll just be having cherry 7-up if you have it.”

“We can do that. I’ll have the waitress over for you. Drinks and food if you get hungry.” He slapped the table and pointed at her before he moved off to take care of the rest of the business.

Molly finally finished her set and stood up. “Thank you,” she said, softly. A few claps greeted her as she left the stage. No sooner was she down the stairs then Neo came out onto the stage and kicked the stool over, sending it sliding across the space to disappear behind the side curtain. “Now that everyone’s fucked up from the musical equivalent of Morphine…” She said, shaking her head. She snickered as Molly glared at her. “It’s time for a good hard shot of some fuckin’ adrenaline, don’t you think?” She asked. The crowd cheered and hooted. She pulled the microphone from the stand and walked to the edge of the stage. “Oh, fuck you guys, I know you motherfuckers can get louder than that. Scream for me, bitches!” She held the microphone out for the club goers. The noise was so loud, it caused feedback. She smiled and stepped back. “That’s what I’m talkin’ about.” She set the microphone back up. “Now, we got something special for you Holocene hard cores tonight. Gotta sexy ass woman all the way from Britain to get dirty with us. You wanna meet her?” The crowd shrieked loudly. “Why don’t you all ask her to come out? On three, you’re all gonna scream _hot for teacher_ , alright?” She held her hand up. “One…two… _three_!”

 _“Hot for Teacher!”_ Caused the room to rumble.

Talia blushed but made her way on stage, violin in hand. She gave the crowd a wave. Neo pulled her in, draping her arm across the Watcher’s shoulder. “Say hi to the people, Talia.”

“Hello,” she said, somewhat sheepishly. “Thank you for such a warm welcome.”

“You wanna hear what she can do?” Neo asked the crowd. As they cheered, she turned to Talia. “You heard ‘em.”

Talia stepped back and lifted her violin to her shoulder, drew out a breath…and began sawing on it like there was no tomorrow. The gathered patrons automatically recognized the tones. Sadiira and Nadiira’s guitars added to the sound. Cerri took up the beat with Quan thumping out the bassline. It was one of their most popular songs, lovingly titled _I Get Off_. Neo’s powerhouse vocals once again wowed the crowd.

            Rain, as she was every time she’d seen them play, was awestruck. Neo moved with a grace and sensuality that was all out of proportion with her look. She looked like she would be brutal and hard. But she had a dancer’s finesse about the stage. As she sang, she’d smooth up behind Talia, dipping low and sliding up the woman’s body as she played her violin. Neo dragged her hand up the woman’s leg, showing a glorious amount of thigh, sending the group into a tailspin. From there, she’d move over and stand back to back with big Quan as she rumbled out the lines on her base. The huge grin on the girl’s face spoke to how much she enjoyed the contact.

Sadiira stepped up during the guitar solo, looking for all intents and purposes like she was making love to her instrument. Nadiira mirrored her movements directly behind her. Every so often, the pair would turn, copying each other stroke for stroke. The only difference was Sadiira and Nadiira’s fingers. Nadiira kept the rhythm while her sister rocked the lead.

            As the song ended, the girls were all smiling. Even the twins. Neo didn’t slow in the least. Sadiira turned to Cerridwen and nodded as she began blasting out the hard cords of _Master of Puppets_ by Metallica. Cerri slammed her sticks down on the drums, smiling at the guitarist. Neo, Quan, and yes, even Talia stood side by side, whipping their hair as the music played.

It was a bit different, hearing the violin in with the rest but it strangely worked for the group. Demon Queller was all about breaking the norm.

Rain was enjoying the hell out of herself. It had actually been a long time since she’d seen them play live. The last few months had been really hectic. The girls hadn’t been able to be at their best. Now, however, it looked as if they hadn’t missed a beat.

She could tell that they were a crowd favorite. The people were dancing and cheering nonstop.

For almost two hours, the girls blasted out song after song. They did a lot of their own material but they didn’t for a moment forget where they got their start. When they first got their name, almost three years ago, they were little more than a cover band. They could hardly get booked, and when they did, they made pocket change.

But things had changed. Now, they were requested. They still did covers, giving people their favorites. The girls had their own favorite songs to play. It showed in the care and passion they had when doing someone else’s music. They didn’t go in for changing lyrics to suit. A lot of performers would rewrite lines to fit their perspective.

This was demonstrated in grand fashion as Neo called for everyone to quiet down. “I’d like to introduce you to someone else. She’s a new addition to the Demon Queller family. You all know we don’t just kick ass on stage. You know we’re out there every night laying down the sexy smack.” A good number of people in the club nodded. They understood what the girls did when they weren’t playing for the throng. “She caught my eye about four months ago and she’s been kickin’ ass with us ever since.” She snapped her fingers and pointed at Rain.

The girl was startled when a spotlight shined directly on her. “That’s her, boys and girls. Ain’t she cute, all embarrassed and shit? Her name’s Rain. And believe me, folks, she can rain down the whuppin’. This next kick is for you, baby.” She kissed at the girl.

It was quite possibly one of the most hated bands of the eighties and the song was likewise a glam rock nightmare. But when being sung as hard and sultry as Neo was capable, it was transformed. _Seventeen_ by Winger was by far no one’s favorite cut.

Rain, personally didn’t care for the track. But when she saw Neo keeping eye contact with her the entire time, belting it out just for her, well…opinions can change.

The crowd was again on their feet, dancing up a storm.

The girls took a break at the two-hour mark to grab something drink, mingle with the crowd and get some dinner. “You guys were great,” Rain said, sitting beside Neo. “I’ve seen you live but I still get goosebumps.”

Neo nodded. “Glad you’re enjoying…” She stopped as she squinted, looking across the club.

“What are you looking at?” Rain asked.

Talia followed Neo’s gaze. The rest of the girls did likewise. “Oh, Goddammit,” Quan said, moving to stand.

“No. You all just got done doing a hard set. I got this,” Rain said, rising to her feet. “Black jacket, slicked-back hair, and ass-molesting jeans?” She asked.

Neo nodded. “Neckin’ with the redhead cheerleader wannabe.”

“Got it,” Rain said. “I got one in my pocket,” she said, pulling the hood of her jacket up. She slipped into the crowd and vanished. During her training with the Watcher’s Council, she’d learned one of her best traits was that she was, for all intents and purposes, plain. Yes, when she wore makeup and dressed right, she could clean up well but her typical attire was boys’ jeans, band t-shirts, and a charcoal or gray hoodie. She blended in with the crowd.

Her teacher taught her to capitalize on that. The woman taught her how to move, how to glide through a mass of people, not garnering any attention, and leaving no impression that she’d ever been there at all. She used that now, approaching the vampire and his prey with no indication of her presence.

Though she was a far sight more skilled than she had been, she still knew she couldn’t take a vampire in a pitched fight. She might have the agility for it but her strength still needed work. _In time_ , she thought to herself. She pulled the stake out and held it against her forearm.

“I don’t see her,” Neo said, standing up. Talia grabbed her arm and sat her back down.

“Don’t call attention to her.” The Watcher said. “She’s right there.” She pointed to the girl as she eased up to the vampire’s back.

“Damn. She’s quick. I didn’t see her move through the people,” Quan said.

They all watched as Rain stepped up and quickly shoved the stake into the vampire’s back. She was away, again melting into the mob as the vampire crumbled to the floor. The redhead had her eyes closed and was in the throes of ecstasy. As the vampire disappeared, she was left with her shirt up, exposing her pale pert breasts and her underwear down around her knees with her skirt just falling to cover her crotch. It took the girl a moment to realize that her date was no longer there. She quickly covered herself and fled the club.

All of the band members laughed as Talia buried her face in her hands. “That’s gonna be on Facebook by the end of the night,” Cerri said, wiping tears from her eyes. “She had nice tits, though.”

Quan looked down at her girlfriend. “Seen better.” She leaned down and kissed the girl. Cerri blushed and smiled at her love.

Rain was back to the table in a few seconds. “So? How was that?”

“Slick as fuckin’ K-Y,” Neo said, pulling the girl in for a kiss. “Loved that whole Batman shit you pulled when you got to the crowd. _I_ fuckin’ lost sight of you. Hard to do.” She pointed to the twins. “Even these two couldn’t find you. _That_ is saying something. Bitches are fuckin’ _snipers_.”

Rain looked at them. “Really?”

“You should be proud,” Sadiira said, nodding.

“Sweet,” Rain said, happily.

Neo looked at her watch and took the last of her onion rings and tossed them into her mouth. “Time for our encore, ladies,” she said, rising to her feet.

They stepped back up to roaring applause. It was one of the reasons they were so incredibly popular. Most bands would only give a one and half, maybe two-hour set. It wasn’t uncommon for Demon Queller to pull a four to five hour night. Given that Neo hadn’t been on stage for months, she was eager to show the people how much she missed them. All of them were drenched in sweat. Quan and the twins’ tank tops were saturated and sticking to their chests as they played. Talia and Cerri’s shirts were transparent, they were so wet. Talia’s black bra was on proud display, as was the cute little blue one that Cerri wore. The young drummer was used to such things and matched her bra to her pleated skirt and the blue necktie she wore as part of her ensemble.

They kicked off with a hard double shot from AC/DC, covering both _It’s a Long Way to the Top_ and _High Voltage._

The girls were just as energetic for their last song as they were for their first. They capped off the night with their self-written party piece, _Warrior’s Soul_. It was a song that was written by all the girls and had their stamp all over it. It was, bar none, the story of Demon Queller. And it was always a crowd favorite. It was a testament to how loved the group was that the crowd sang along with them.

Neo dropped from the stage and moved through the patrons as she sang, smoothing up on some of the boys and girls alike as she did so. She showed them all that she was above none of them and that, without them, she wouldn’t be where she was, doing as she was doing. As the music hit its second crescendo, she ran and jumped flipping back up onto the stage, continuing to belt out the lyrics.

At the guitar solo, she moved with Sadiira, dancing as if she was dreaming of the mocha skinned guitarist.

Having taken the stage at eight o’clock, it wasn’t until one-thirty, that the band left, waving to their fans. “See you tonight,” Neo said, kissing at the crowd, then slapping her leather clad butt as she left.

Rain sighed as rose to head backstage. She knew full well what tonight was going to bring. And she couldn’t be happier.


	54. Chapter 54

To say he was angry was an understatement. He strode through his large castle home, his narrowed eyes sweeping back and forth. The damage done had been repaired. He had seen to that. The petite slayer had gone absolutely berserk. None of the signs of her rampage remained but he still saw it. To him, it was a violation of the highest order.

The worst part of it all, the death of his servants, his three beautiful brides…was that there was nothing he could do about it. In his near six hundred years of life, he’d faced down threats unimaginable. Armies, holy crusaders, demons, devils, and yes, even slayers. Always he’d been able to outsmart and, eventually, outfight them. He had to withdraw before but he would inevitably return and prove why he was spoken of with such reverence in the supernatural world.

But he knew now, that such would be a mistake. Point Defiance was a kill box for someone like him. Those with reputation would always be best suited to steer clear. He hadn’t known when he brought his castle there, that such a horrifying young monster lie in wait. The young warrior, Haru was more demon than slayer. _“_ She _is out there…and she’s coming this way. She can’t be bargained with. She can’t be reasoned with. She doesn’t feel pity or remorse…or fear. And she absolutely will not stop…._ Ever _. Until you are dead.”_

Steele’s words stuck with him. He had thought them nothing save an exaggeration. But he learned quite differently. The tiny slayer was truly terrifying. She reminded him far too much of what he used to be. Her brutality and bloodlust struck a little too close to home for him.

So Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia, known throughout the world as Dracula… _fled_. He had run for his unlife. All others of the city of Destiny he felt strongly that he could have handled. Yes, even Steele Payne would fall victim to his power, he was sure. But this _Haru_ was a different beast altogether.

He did wish to destroy her but he also understood that he would do nothing to her… because he _could_ do nothing. His power was nothing to her. She’d faced down challenges and monsters that were far more terrifying than he.

She thought nothing of his reputation. And reputation was what brought him south, to Portland, Oregon. The Rose City, they called it. He really couldn’t understand why. As he turned away from the place where his brides had perished, he stepped over to the massive window that overlooked the cityscape. It was typical as American cities went. A thin veneer of civility washed hastily over a breeding ground for violence, debauchery, and hedonism. It was very much synonymous with nearly every city he had visited in this nation.

Portland, however, did house _one_ thing that he was rather eager to explore. Word had spread near and far of a girl. A girl that was said to be the bane of the underworld as a whole. Her name was spoken of with terror and panic. Hers was a reputation that, if he were honest with himself, left him both jealous and respectful in equal measure.

The name of Neo Knight was quite well known.

Now, he had known many that had found a name for themselves. Many hunters had become famous. But even the Van Helsing clan of Europe and Daniel Holtz, who reputedly had more than three hundred vampire kills to his credit if the numbers were to be believed, didn’t harbor the same grim reputation as this lone human teenage girl.

He was quite eager to see why this girl was so infamous among his brethren. He stepped up onto the sill of the window and leaped out into the night. His form melted, becoming that of a large bat. He flapped away into the dark, seeking the first of what he hoped would be a new breed of bride.

 

Cerri sat back with her feet on the desk. She rolled the butterscotch lollipop in her mouth as she watched the screens. She looked over her shoulder and chuckled before turning back to the monitors. “You keep pacing like that, you’re gonna wear a hole in the floor.”

Talia walked back and forth behind the petite drummer nervously. “I can’t help it,” she said, checking over the crossbow she carried in her hands and again looked at the computer screens. She didn’t understand how people like Cerri could handle keeping track of so many computer monitors at once. It was a preposterous amount to keep straight. She would never even dream of trying. “It still amazes me.”

“What does?” Cerri asked around her sucker. “Oh, nice shot,” she said, smiling.

“How you can keep track of all of this.” Talia moved over to her. “What are you watching?” She asked, looking over the screens.

Cerri tapped a few buttons and brought the action up on the central monitor. “There,” she said, pointing.

Talia leaned a little closer. She could see Neo handily taking a vampire apart while Quan, Rain, and the twins sat on top of her van, eating drive through from Jack In The Box and drinking sodas. They looked as relaxed as could be. “Why aren’t they helping her?”

Cerri turned and looked at Talia like she’d suddenly grown another head. “Really?” She asked.

Neo, for her part, didn’t seem in any true danger from the lone vamp. It was obvious the time in England, training with the Watcher’s Council had done her good. Before, she was simply explosive brutal power. Rage and strength with no true direction or discipline. Now, however, she had some semblance of control and actual style to her combat. She still delivered bone-crunching heart pounding blows but she did so in a much more precise manner.

The vampire raced at her, his arm drawn back. She stepped aside, leveling a hard blow to his gut with her metal studded fist. The vampire staggered a step. Neo snapped him in the back of the head with a sharp reverse kick that sent him to the ground, face first. As he landed, she was again in motion. She jumped and spun in the air, coming down in a sort of corkscrew kick that dropped her heavy leg across the small of his back. He let out a squealing grunt.

She kicked herself to her feet and stepped back. She stood, arms akimbo and stared down at him. “Come on, Pal. I’m just starting to feel it. Don’t tell me you’re done already.”

He growled and got to his hands and knees. “What…what the fuck are you?”

“Oh you didn’t _know_?” Neo said, grinning. “Well, your ass-,”

“No!” Quan shouted from the top of the van. “Not gonna fuckin’ happen. You can say anything else you want but I’ll be fucking _damned_ if I let your ass quote fucking Road Dogg.”

Neo furrowed her brow and looked up at her. “You know, I don’t see your ass down here whuppin’ any ass. So you really ain’t got any room to give me shit about what I say.”

“I don’t give a shit. I draw the line at-,”

“Stay the fuck down.” Neo suddenly snapped, interrupting the big woman’s tirade as she delivered a quick right cross the sent the vampire back to the grass. “Never said you can fuckin’ move. We’re trying to have a conversation. So lay there like a good bitch until I tell you-you can get the fuck up.” She turned back to Quan. “I happen to kind of like Road Dogg.”

“That is no one’s fault but your own,” Quan said.

“He was kind of lame,” Rain said.

“You liked Marc Mero. You know nothing,” Neo said to her.

“No,” Rain said, shaking her head. “I liked Johnny B. Badd. There’s a huge difference.”

“He’s the same fuckin’ guy!” Neo shouted.

“But the bookers in WCW were a lot better and actually let him be cool. WWE just fucked him up.” Rain shot back.

Neo sighed. “Alright, I’ll give you that.” She turned back to the vampire. He was on his hands and knees trying to crawl away from her. “Where the hell do you think you’re going?” She asked, trotting over and gripping his hair. She lifted him from the ground and held him up. “You know what, you’re just boring the fuck out of me.” She snatched a stake from her belt and rammed it into his throat. He gargled and cried out. “Oh, shit. I missed. Let me try that again.” She hammered him with it in the eye. He again screamed and wailed. “Fuck me, my aim must really be off tonight. One more time, okay?” She laughed out loud at his piteous moaning. She finally dusted him. “Damn. Took me long enough.” She dusted herself off and turned toward the van. “I actually wish I could have watched that shit live,” Neo said. “Seeing some of those old matches on YouTube is pretty cool but I’d love to see it up close and personal.” She jumped and pulled herself up to sit beside Rain. “Where’s my burger?”

Rain pulled out her giant bacon cheeseburger and offered it to her. “Here you go,” she said, smiling.

Neo shot in and kissed her. “Thanks.” She pulled the paper off and took a huge bite. “That’s what I’m talking about,” she said, her mouth filled with beef, bacon, and cheese. She chewed it up and swallowed, letting out a huge belch. She reached up and tapped the earpiece. “Anything else out here, Cerri?”

The girl put her feet down and began cycling through the screens. “Gimme a sec. I’m checking now.”

Talia watched the rapid pace at which the main monitor cycled. She barely had time to see what was on the screen before the angle changed. “Good lord,” she said, shaking her head. She was a fairly intelligent woman and even _she_ couldn’t keep up.

 “I have really horrible ADD,” Cerri said to Talia.

“I’m sorry, what was that?”

“You asked me how I can keep track of all of this without going crazy.” Cerri leaned forward and inspected the camera carefully. “That’s how. I have Attention Deficit Disorder. I literally have to have shit to occupy my mind or I go insane. Me and Rite are kind of alike in that regard. Except I’m not as horrendously anti-social as she is.” She narrowed her eyes and stared intently. “What the fuck is that?”

Talia sat in the second computer chair and scooted forward. “Is that a… _castle_?” She furrowed her brow. “I didn’t know there was a castle in Portland.”

“There isn’t.” Cerri quickly brought up footage of the same location last night. “It wasn’t there yesterday.” She went one further and accessed a satellite image. “This is last night.” She tapped a button. “This is four minutes ago.”

“No castle yesterday. Castle today.” Talia bit her lip. “I’ve read about this before,” she said, rising to her feet. She set the crossbow down and trotted over to the huge bookshelves that had been built along the wall since their return from England.

Cerri, meanwhile got in contact with Neo. “I’ve got something that’s pretty damn interesting. And you’re not gonna believe it. I need you girls to head back to the barn. You need to see this.”

 

Twenty minutes later, they were gathered around Cerri’s computer terminal. “So what are we looking at?” Neo asked, sipping her coke.

“This is the forested park along Southwest Taylor’s Ferry Road. Near Riverview Abbey Funeral Home.” Cerri brought up an image of the site from last night. “As you can see, just trees. Nothing untoward.” The girls all nodded. “This is that same stretch _tonight_.”

“Holy shit,” Rain said, leaning down. “Is that a castle?”

“Yes, it is,” Talia said, moving over from her station to the girls. She had an open book in her hands. “And if this is to be believed…” She lifted her eyes and looked at the gathered group. “I know who it belongs to. I believe the histories called him Vlad Tepes. The Prince of Wallachia.”

“Fuckin’ _Dracula_?” Neo asked. “You fuckin’ with me?”

“A castle appears out of nowhere and doesn’t faze you one damn bit. But the fact that Dracula might be real is what surprises you?” Cerri asked, turning to regard the potential. “Priorities out of whack, much?”

Neo sighed and looked back at the screen. “Fuckin’ all _Krull_ and shit.”

“I don’t like horses,” Rain said out of the blue. “Flaming or otherwise.”

All of those present turned to look at her. “ _What_?” Neo asked.

“I don’t like horses,” Rain repeated.

“What in the bluest of blue hells does that have to do with anything that was said in the past like, ten minutes?” Quan asked.

“In the movie Krull. They had to ride Fire Mares to reach the castle by sunrise.” She shook her head. “I don’t ride horses. Hate horses.”

Neo narrowed her eyes. “Jesus motherfucking _Christ_ , are you a nerd.”

“Hey, don’t give me that shit, pissy-britches. You’re the one that opened the door with that Krull reference.” Rain responded.

The rest of the girls giggled. “She’s got you there, Alice.” Talia offered.

“Yeah, I might have opened the door but you’re the one that flung yourself all fuckin’ slave Leia through it.” Neo shot back.

“You’d love to see me in that getup, wouldn’t you?” Rain asked, stepping closer to Neo. “Better yet.” She wrapped her arms around the girl’s neck and turned to Talia. “Put _her_ in that and have her lounging next to you, while I dance about with a collar and chain around my neck.” She looked back to Neo. “How about _that_ for a nerd fantasy.”

“Peecha wahnjee kohkpa tahng nahngee toochantkee troi,” Neo said, grinning at the pair.

All of the girls groaned and shook their heads. “From this point forward, you have no right _ever_ to call someone else a nerd again,” Cerri said, going back to her computer.

“Since when has not having the right to do something ever stopped me?” Neo asked her.

“Fair point,” the girl said, nodding. “But now that we know who this is, what are we gonna do about him?”

“Tal?” Neo asked, letting go of Rain and stepping over to her Watcher. “What do the hot sheets say about this ass-hat?”

“Well…” Talia looked through the book. “It says little about him here.” She sighed and moved back to the shelf, putting that book way and pulling out a first printing of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. “From everything I’ve heard, our research sadly has to start here.”

“You’re saying that piece of shit is real?” Neo asked. “Despite being dry as shit, it says that he can like, turn into fog, turn into a wolf or a bat and that he can like, roll people with his eyes and shit.”

“If my material is anything to go by, that is all very much accurate,” Talia said.

Neo leaned against Cerri’s desk and smiled widely. “So what you’re saying is…this guy’s a legit badass.”

“That is my assessment, yes. He’s very much a threat,” Talia said.

“Oh, fuck you, Neo. I know that look,” Quan said, shaking her head. “Don’t even think about it.”

“Too late,” Neo said, grinning.

“He’ll kill you, Alice,” Talia said. “This is Dracula we’re talking about. Vlad the Impaler. One of the most ruthless and maniacal men ever to walk the earth.” She shook her head. “Even as fearsome as you are…” She sighed as she saw the challenge in the girl’s eyes. “I’m not even making a dent, am I?”

Neo’s confident smile faltered. “You really don’t want me tangling with this guy, do you?” She asked her girlfriend.

“No, I don’t. Make no mistake, I understand that a confrontation between the pair of you is inevitable but I don’t want you going off half-cocked in some madcap effort to prove yourself.”

“Did she just use _madcap_ in a sentence?” Cerri asked Rain.

“Sounded like it,” the free runner offered.

“You pride yourself on being a monster, Alice. I understand that. It has been your bread and butter for as long as you’ve been hunting the supernatural. But this is a man that has _set the bar_ on what a monster is. He was a demon among men before he was ever turned. Even as fearsome as you are, to him, you’re a mere novice.” She stepped forward and rested her hands on Neo’s shoulders. “With Dracula, the _man_ is just as, if not _more_ dangerous than the monster.”

“Nothing can equal the evil that men do,” Rain said to Neo. “You know that. And chances are it was because of guys like this that people believe that.”

“Nope,” Sadiira said, shaking her head. “It was Aliens.” Everyone looked at her. “I don't know which species is worse. You don't see them fucking each other over for a goddamn percentage.”

“Hey look,” Quan said, shaking her head. “There goes the mood, up in flames.”

“I get what you’re saying, Talia. I do.” She looked at all the girls. “I get what you’re all saying. But this son of a bitch came to Portland for one reason. We all know what he’s after, _who_ he’s after. We’re a team. Have been for a long fuckin’ time. But the sad fact is-,”

“He’s here for you,” Quan said. “No fuckin’ shit. We all know the score, Neo. It ain’t any of us that the demon community whispers about in the dark. It’s you. It’s always _been_ you.” She shook her head. “But that don’t mean you gotta make it easy for this fucker.”

“There’s something you all don’t seem to be getting.” Neo picked up the book from Cerri’s desk. “If even half of what this shit says is true, this guy’s a heavyweight. Probably the meanest piece of work to come through Portland.” She looked at Cerri. “He might even be more powerful in the head than Heidenreich.” That caused the girl to shudder. Neo turned to Quan. “And we all know what _that_ motherfucker almost cost us. I don’t wanna take that chance again. We know he’s here for me. So I say we let him have me. Fucker’s gonna be seriously surprised when he finds out that I’m not some little girl that’s gonna swoon at his pretty eyes and bishi-ass face.”

“Think on this,” Talia said. “Of mind, you’re the most powerful among us. From what everyone said, Heidenreich couldn’t roll you with his eyes.” She cocked her head. “What if Dracula can? What if he turns you? Who do you think he’s going to send you after? As you are now, you’re nearly slayer strong, fast, and durable. Being a vampire would make you _unstoppable_.” She motioned the rest of the girls. “You know how we all think, how we all fight. You know everything about us.” She shook her head. “We wouldn’t stand a chance. Together or alone.”

Neo watched them all as they nodded. Suddenly, she was afraid. She didn’t really give a shit if she was taken out. She didn’t, hasn’t, nor would she ever fear dying. She’d been ready to do that for a long time. It was one of the first things you had to come to grips with, being a demon hunter.

But what she did fear, was being the reason that her friends and family died. The last thing she ever wanted to do was cost them their lives. And if she had run off to face Dracula like she wanted to, that outcome was a very real possibility.

And that was something that Alice Frog could not – _would not_ – live with.

“So what do you suggest?” Neo asked, curiously. “Because no offense, we’re taking care of this motherfucker _in house_. I’m not bringing him more sacrificial lambs. He begins and ends here.” She turned to Cerri. “I want you gone. We’re gonna get you outta Portland. Tonight.”

Cerri furrowed her brow. “Why?”

“Heidenreich got into your head and fucked you up.” Neo shook her head. “Ain’t takin’ the chance of that happening again. No fuckin’ way.”

“It isn’t your choice, Neo,” Cerri shot back.

“Fuck it’s not,” Neo said.

“Goddammit, _no_!” Cerri shouted, slamming her hand down on her desk. “I’m a part of this _fucking_ team! I’ve got just as much right to stay here and fight as you all do.”

Quan moved over and knelt in front of her love. “You have to understand something, Cerri. Anything happens to you-,”

“I don’t want you all to keep treating me like a target, a-a _burden_ ,” Cerri said, tears in her eyes.

“You don’t know how much I worry about-,” Quan began to say but was interrupted as Cerri angrily smacked her across her face. The act stunned everyone in the room but none more so than Quan herself.

“Fuck you, Anna!” Cerri snarled at her. Her hand hurt where she slapped the girl but she was too angry to care. “I _do_ know. I play it cool because that’s what you all _need_ me to do. But the truth is I fucking _die_ a little inside watching you all leave to fight. I terrify the fucking shit out of me to have to sit here in safety watching you all fight for your lives. Yeah, I know you can all handle yourselves but…” She sniffed and wiped her eyes. “It doesn’t stop me from worrying.” She was slowly sobbing. “I get scared every single time. So don’t you _dare_ sit there and tell me I don’t know how much you worry. Because I don’t worry any less.”

Everyone stared at the girl. Each of them had the good nature to feel sheepish. For the past several years, Cerridwen had to sit here and watch them leave, never a hundred percent sure they’d come back. It was a hell of a wakeup call. “She’s right.” Rain offered, looking at all of them.

“And think about this,” Cerri said, reaching into a pouch on her belt. She pulled out the stun gun and fired it up. “Vampire or not. Ancient homicidal warlord or not. Stuff a million volts into his dick and he’ll drop like a stone.”

With that, Neo made the decision. “Cerri?” She snapped, pulling the girl’s angry eyes to hers. “Get on the horn. Everyone that’s dealt with this motherfucker. Info only. No backup. Do what you do best, baby. Profile this son of a bitch. I want everything you can give me on him. Birth to tomorrow morning. This fucker takes a shit, I wanna know about it.” She patted the girl’s head. “No one does this shit better than you.”

“You got it,” Cerri said, smiling.

“Everyone’s on the buddy system. No one goes anywhere alone.” She sighed. “Yes, even _me_.” She looked at Talia. “You fuckin’ happy?”

Talia smiled at her. In that brief moment, it was made very apparent why Neo was the leader of the band, despite not being the biggest, strongest, smartest, or most skilled. “Very,” she said.

“Pain in my ass,” Neo said, moving toward the lockers.

“No,” Rain said, falling in step beside her. “That comes later.”


	55. Chapter 55

Rain stood with the shopping cart in front of her and looked over the options. “Definitely Cool Ranch,” she said, pulling down several blue bags of Doritos and setting them in the cart. She added a half dozen large jars of Con Queso and moved out of the snack chip aisle of the store. She pushed the grocery cart to the meat section of the WinCo and saw Talia perusing the ground beef options.

“Is it sad that all of this looks the same to me?” Talia asked the young girl.

“How often do you grocery shop?” Rain offered. “Not much would be my guess.” She reached down and lifted a large chub and set it in the cart. “We’re making nachos and tacos. You want a good meat-to-fat ratio. I always do eighty-five to fifteen. Keeps the meat moist but doesn’t give you too much grease.”

Talia shrugged and followed behind the potential. She walked along as Rain gathered refried beans, taco shells, shredded cheese, lettuce, and tomato. “Do you like jalapenos?” She asked her Watcher.

“I’m not adverse to them,” the woman returned. “Especially on my nachos.”

Rain nodded and grabbed a few jars and set them in beside the Con Queso. Lastly, she gathered avocados, guacamole dip mix, and sour cream. “We’re ready,” she said, nodding.

“Soda. We don’t have any at home,” Talia said before they reached the cash register.

They were pushed through the line quickly and gathered their cart, moving out into the parking lot and toward the matte black 2008 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor.

Talia snickered, remembering Neo’s begrudging acceptance of the automobile. When they purchased the first used Police car back Los Angeles, the potential had thrown a fit. She absolutely hated the damn things. When they’d had to storm Scipio, Utah to help the Winchester brothers with the Hellions, she couldn’t argue how tough the decommissioned cars were. They’d earned her respect at that point.

“Could be worse,” Neo growled as she looked the car over. “Could be an old piece of shit Caprice.”

Talia popped the trunk and helped Rain set the groceries in before slamming the boot closed.

“What is that?” Rain asked as they moved around to get into the car.

Talia looked at what the girl was staring at. “Looks like a dog,” she said, curiously. A large canine padded toward the pair of them calmly. She realized quickly that it was no ordinary dog but a massive gray wolf. “Oh my god,” she said, suddenly panicked. She quickly unlocked the door of the car. “Get in, _now_!” She hit the door locks and dropped behind the wheel.

Rain immediately did as her watcher instructed. “What’s-?” She began to ask but didn’t manage to get the rest of the her question out as the lupine form seemed to melt into that of a tall well-dressed man with bright amber-gold eyes, long black hair and a pale beautiful face.

Talia did her level best to get the car started. She shoved the key into the ignition and turned it, firing the car up.

Rain kept watching the man. She knew who he was. Since his castle had appeared in Portland a week ago, he’d been keeping a very, _very_ low profile. Nearly every single night the group had gone out to see if he had been making any kind of play for the town. Cerri watched his castle like a hawk, strictly forbidding Neo from going anywhere near it. So far, he’d been a good boy and hadn’t tried his luck.

They hadn’t heard so much as a peep from him…until now.

Rain gasped as she watched his form dissipate into nothing save a fine mist. “That’s different.” She squeaked as the fog suddenly rushed toward the car.

Talia managed to get the car in gear and mashed the accelerator. The tires shrieked as she sped across the parking lot. “Call Alice,” she said, driving furiously.

Rain pulled her cell phone from her pocket…

“You don’t need to do that.” A calm, commanding voice from the backseat called out to her. “Put that down. You don’t need it. Pull the automobile over.”

Talia could feel the mental intrusion and did her level best to fight it. “I’m not-,”

“You _will_ ,” he said to her. The car slowed and pulled into a side street. “Turn it off.” Talia did as she was told.

Rain, for her part tucked her cell phone back into her pocket. “What are you going to do with us?” She asked, suddenly terrified.

“Let us step out of the vehicle and discuss it, shall we?” His voice stole their ability to act on their own. But it didn’t take their ability to feel fear. And the pair of them were scared out of their minds.

 

Neo climbed out of the van with Quan and the twins in tow. “Well that was boring as a motherfucker.”

“You knew it was gonna be like this,” Quan said. “We all did.”

“I figured the son of a bitch would be like, I don’t know, rallying the troops or something,” Neo said.

“He believes other vampires to be beneath him,” Sadiira said, shaking her head. “Talia explained that to you last night. That’s why he hasn’t…” The gunfighter let her words trail off as she looked over to see Cerridwen at the desk, biting her lip nervously.

“Cerri? What’s wrong?” Quan asked.

“Where’s Tal and Rain?” Neo asked, looking around. “They upstairs?”

Cerri slowly shook her head. “They left just after you did. They went to get dinner. They wanted to surprise you,” she said, on the verge of tears. She sniffed. “They haven’t checked in. Their cell phones go straight to voicemail.” She turned and hit a button, showing a map of Portland. “And I can’t get a bead on their GPS.”

Neo narrowed her eyes. “You let them leave? With that motherfucker out there, _you-let-them-leave_?” She walked slowly toward the girl, growling through clenched teeth. Cerri recoiled, fear in her eyes.

Quan was immediately in Neo’s face. “Back off,” she said, looming over the potential. “Right. _Now_!” The menace in her words left absolutely no room for discussion.

It took Neo a moment to realize what she was doing. She was angrily rolling up on Cerri. She bit her lip and stepped back. “Fuck,” she said, running her hand through her hair. “Sorry, Cerri,” she said, instantly softening her expression. “You ain’t their keepers.” She moved over and hugged the girl. “Not your fault.”

“I told them that it was a bad idea,” Cerri said. “I tried to explain it, Neo. I _did_. But Talia said it would be fine. She made sure she and Rain took their kits with them.”

“I know you did,” Neo said, holding the now crying girl in her arms. “Like I said, ain’t your fault. I know who’s ass I gotta kick.”

“Having their gear with them isn’t going to do a lick of good against someone like Dracula.” Sadiira offered. “We might be able to shrug it off,” She pointed to Quan and then Neo. “You’ve got tats that’ll protect you and you’re immune to most mental attacks anyway.”

“I know. Cerri, Tal, and Rain are a different fuckin’ story.” Neo looked down at the girl. “No offense, tiny.”

“None taken,” Cerri said. “That’s why I’m wearing this.” She lifted up the small Iron Cross pendant.

Neo furrowed her brow and looked it over. “What is that?”

“Alexia sent it to me. I got it earlier today. It helps protect me against possession and a lot of minor charms. Not sure how good it’ll be against someone like Dracula but I figure it can’t hurt,” Cerri said.

“It was forged from metal taken from the first bell to be hung at the Cathedral of Cologne in 1351,” Sadiira said. “We read the literature that came with it.”

“Right on, Lexi,” Neo said. She blew out a breath. “Okay, so what do we know?”

Cerri got down to business. “They headed for the WinCo near Powell Street Station about two hours ago. There aren’t any cameras in that lot, so I can’t pinpoint whether they left or not.” She brought up the nearest camera. “This is the corner of Powell and 82nd. The camera only adjusts to see the sidewalks on 82nd and Powell. I can’t see anything in the parking lot.”

“What’s that right there?” Nadiira pointed to another screen. She tapped the far left-hand side. “Can you zoom in?”

Cerri looked at it. “That’s the parking lot of OM Seafood,” she said, bringing the image up on the main screen. “The camera doesn’t go in any further than that.”

Neo leaned over the girl. “Is it just me, or does that look like the push bumper on the front of an old Crown Vic?”

“Portland PD still uses Crown Vics,” Quan said.

Neo shook her head. “Don’t give a shit.” She turned and headed to the van. “We’re gonna check it out.” She looked over her shoulder at the twins. “You two are on Cerri watch. Quan. You’re with me.”

“Good luck,” Cerri said, turning back to the screens.

 

Vlad laid the pair of still forms upon the stone sarcophagi within the ornate crypt he’d stolen into. He licked the blood from his lips and gave a moment to ponder the pair. How peaceful they looked. “A poignant message to be sure.” He swept from the mausoleum, looking for some night-stalking ilk that would be easily swayed to do his bidding.

His search led him to a darkened alley a few blocks from the graveyard. He was forced to cover his nose in revulsion at the smell of the homeless man that lay sleeping in his squalor. He remembered a time when he was forced to feed upon such wretchedness. Those days were long past but the smell was familiar and the memories lingered. He finally came upon what he sought.

And his heart sank at the discovery. He spied a pair of vampires, one wearing a tattered denim jacket, the other in a black hoodie, kneeling in the filth and the waste taking turns drinking from the form of a stray canine. He couldn’t help but feel bile rise in his throat. It was quite possibly the most pitiable sight he’d ever seen. “Sad,” he said, emerging from the darkness. He let his power fill his voice. “Come with me.” He ordered the pair. “I have a task for you.” He turned and walked away, confident the men would follow him. They made their way back to the graveyard and to the bodies upon the stone slabs.

The vampires both stopped when they saw the two women laying there. “Oh my God,” Denim said, terror filling his voice. “Are they…?” He looked to Dracula. “Are they dead?”

He was perplexed by their reactions. “No, they yet live. Barely.”

Hoodie was shaking his head and backing away. “No, no, no…”

“I wish the pair of you to-,” Dracula began.

Denim cut him off. “Yeah, fuck you, man.” He backed toward the door. “You are so on your fucking own with this shit.”

He narrowed his eyes. “You fear. Why?”

“You got any idea who the fuck these two are?” Hoodie asked. “These are _her_ girlfriends, man. Every vampire and demon in Portland knows not to fuck with these two.”

“You have any fuckin’ idea what kind of shitstorm is gonna come down on you?” Denim asked him, his tone serious. “If anyone sees us with you, it’s gonna be our asses.” He and the other vampire turned and ran from the mausoleum as fast as they could, leaving Dracula, for the first time since he could remember, completely confused.

“I really do not understand this,” he said, uncertain.

He was somewhat surprised when he saw a tall hooded figure appear from seemingly out of nowhere to stand in the doorway of the crypt. His profile was to Dracula. The figure turned to regard the retreating vampires. “No, I am fairly certain you don’t.” A deep rich voice emanated from beneath the hood. The form then turned to him. “But you soon will.”

“A fellow hunter of the night,” Dracula said, a smile on his face. “Perhaps someone that can be of service to me?”

The figure chuckled. “From what I have seen, my friend…” He stepped into the mausoleum and looked down at the pair of women. “You need all the help you can get.” He pushed back his hood to reveal his face. “You are out of your depth, Lord Tepes.”

“And yet another wolf that has learned to fear the sheep,” Dracula said, sighing. “What is it you are called?”

The vampire swept his arms out wide. “Niravatheu.”

Dracula furrowed his brow. “I know of you.”

“And I of you,” Niravatheu offered. “And I can say with an utmost degree of certainty that there are none that have done more to harm the collective vampire community than you.”

“I grow tired of hearing that,” Dracula said to the man.

“Regardless, it is fact and you would do well to remember that when the woman whose heart these two belonged comes to call.” He stepped over and caressed Rain’s cheek with his thumb. “No vampire in the history of our kind has ever made a more grievous error than you have this night.”

“Enlighten me, Niravatheu. Why is it everyone fears this girl so?”

“This will probably not sway your decision to incite her ire but nevertheless, I will try.” He sighed and leaned back against the wall. “Neo Knight is a girl out of time. It is a joke among her peers that she was born in the wrong century. As much as this is farce, there are many among us that believe it to be fact. Hers is the soul of a warrior. A killer. She faces monumental struggles to fit in with this… _modern_ civilization. Hers is a simpler, more instinctual way. Our kind are predators. We are monsters. Not because we choose to be but because we _have_ to be. It is simply what we are. But Neo Knight? She is a monster because she _chooses_ to be. To her, it is a whimsical romp. She enjoys destroying our kind. And of all of the demon and vampire hunters you can think of, I am fairly certain none of them, _no one_ can hope to match both her brutality and her body count.” He pointed in the direction that the pair of vampires had left. “They are monsters just as we are. Yet, they have been forced to be something else. Because even monsters fear what Neo Knight truly is. _That_ is why everyone fears her. Because no matter how terrifying, how evil and how sadistic we would wish ourselves to be…we will still never have the nerve to approach the kind of depravity that she unleashes upon our kind with a joyous smile upon her face.” He cocked his head. “Does that answer your question?”

Dracula stared at him a moment. “I have done my research. She is not a slayer, she is not a demon. She is but a lowly human girl. Nothing more than a child.” He shook his head. “You may choose to fear her if you wish but I have nothing to fear from her. None of us do. On our side is strength, agility, stamina-,”

“And yet, she will kill you just the same,” Niravatheu said to him. “Speak with any of the brethren in this city. Any of those that have been here and made good their exit. I would say to speak with any that have faced her ire and survived but you really can’t.” He shook his head. “Because none of them have. Even the strongest of us avoid this town. That you are here is either a testament to your bravery…or a blatant display of your stupidity.”

“Why are you here, then? If she is such a terrifying foe, why would you risk coming here?”

Niravatheu chuckled. “Because it is not every day one is given the chance to see a legend fall.”

“I will prove that this child is nothing more than a collection of fantastical stories and exaggerated claims,” Dracula said.

“And she will prove to you that she is much, much more than that,” Niravatheu said, shaking his head. “You wish someone to deliver these two as a message, yes?”

“Upon seeing them in such a state, Neo will be off base and erratic,” Dracula said. “Her mind will not be upon the fight.”

Niravatheu laughed. “You Wallachian fool.” He rubbed the tears from his eyes. “You are so very, _very_ mistaken. Seeing her loves in this condition will be a whetstone to the blade of her rage. It will give her a hungry falcon’s focus. Her only goal will be to see you destroyed.” He stared into Dracula’s eyes. “Leaving them alone would have served you far better. Keeping Neo overconfident and relaxed would have been a much better time at which to strike quickly and bring her into your embrace.” He sighed down at the women. “But now you’ve damned yourself. All of the power at your command, all of the flashy magic at your disposal will not save you from her now.” He slowly lifted his eyes to those of the dark prince. “Your legacy, _Dracula’s_ legacy ends in Portland, Oregon. And it will come at the hands of an eighteen-year-old girl.” He then lifted both Rain and Talia’s unconscious bodies in his arms. “You are a marked man, Lord Tepes. May whatever Gods you believe in have mercy upon you. Because Neo Knight knows not the meaning of the word.” He then left the mausoleum without looking back.

Dracula stood staring after him. He couldn’t help but feel everyone was giving the girl far too much credit. She was human. How could she _possibly_ be that big of a threat?

But the name of Niravatheu was known throughout elite circles. The man was centuries old when Vlad was turned. Niravatheu hated what he was. He was one of the few that chose to live alone, hunt alone, and feed alone. He never attracted attention to himself. Thus men like Van Helsing, Holtz, and even the slayers of yore left him be. He wasn’t a monster, he was simply a sore upon the world; small and occasionally irritating but largely ignored. And he was gifted with a long unlife as a result.

The fact that he was confident enough to deliver Dracula’s message free of the fear of molestation said something. What, Dracula couldn’t say.

Suddenly, very old words came rushing back to him. _Every story contains a grain of truth_. They were good words to remember. And with the accounts of someone like Neo, it left one with a rather big question.

What was the story…and what was the truth?

The aged vampire didn’t have an answer. And given what Niravatheu had said, that Neo never left survivors, he would have to learn the answer firsthand.


	56. Chapter 56

Neo and Quan pulled up to the parking lot and eased into the spot beside the matte black Crown Victoria. Neo was the first out of the van and quickly trotted around to the vehicle. “Doesn’t look like there was a struggle,” Quan said as she leaned down to look in the windows. She noticed the driver’s door was unlocked and reached in, pulling the keys from the ignition. “We’re lucky it didn’t get stolen.”

Neo, her jaw tight stepped around to the trunk, snapped her fingers, and held her hand up. Quan tossed the keys to her. She quickly unlocked it and lifted the deck lid. She stood, staring at the contents of the boot. Quan was beside her in a heartbeat. “They didn’t even have time to get their shit out.” Talia’s crossbow and Rain’s collapsible bow were both still in their cases. “Fucker surprised ‘em.”

“Probably put the whammy on ‘em.” Quan offered. She reached up and tapped her earpiece. “We’re at the car now. No sign of either of them.”

“I’m checking with the police bands and area hospitals,” Cerri said.

Neo stood, trembling. She’d only ever been so enraged as she was now once in her life. And it seemed to indicate a pattern. When Heidenreich had mind-fucked Cerridwen, she’d seen the world through nothing but a red haze of fury. She wanted nothing more at that moment than to completely and utterly destroy the motherfucker. She’d broken down and cried beside Cerri’s hospital bed, begging the girl to forgive her for not being able to protect her. Cerri of course had but Neo still harbored quiet guilt about not being there for the girl.

And now again. Two women that had come to mean the world to her were targets because of who and what she was. She’d taken a chance and loved. And these two women had paid the price.

But Neo wasn’t like other girls. She didn’t let sorrow and despair fill her. The thought of anyone getting close didn’t sadden her in the least. Wallowing in doubt and self-pity wasn’t Neo Knight’s bag. No, her way was the way of rage, of anger. Hers was the way of bloody retribution. In matters of vengeance, Neo and Alexia shared common ground. Both of their souls were the universe’s offer of _or else_.

“Neo. I’ve got someone calling our landline,” Cerri said over the girl’s earpiece. “He wants to talk to you. Says you two have met before.”

“He give you a name?” Neo asked, her voice cold. She shut the boot lid and rested her hands on the cool black metal.

“Niravatheu,” Cerri said. “He said you’d know who he was.”

“Put him through.” Neo returned.

“Am I speaking with Neo Knight?” His cultured tone caressed her ear.

“What do you want?” Neo asked. “I’m kinda busy right now.”

“Adventist Medical Center. Your lady loves yet live.” Niravatheu offered coolly.

“I’ll be there in a few minutes,” she said, running around and climbing into the car. “Quan? Go home. I want the twins with me.”

The big woman nodded. “Gotcha,” she said, trotting over to the van. “Hold on. Hit the trunk release.”

“Why?” Neo asked her, doing as Quan requested.

The big woman took the groceries the girls had bought and put them in the van. “I don’t want the trunk smelling like rotten hamburger if I can help it. Now get outta here.” She raced off toward the warehouse while Neo headed to the hospital. She arrived moments later and parked as close as she could to the door. She had to physically calm herself. She pulled off her armor and assault vest, tossing them both in the trunk of the car, leaving her in just a pair of black cargo pants and a charcoal gray tank top. Her thick-knotted arms were bare to the world. She slammed the lid and ran into the hospital.

She slid to a stop at the front desk. The nurse looked up at her and immediately swallowed. The girl was as menacing as anyone she’d ever seen. “Can-can I help you?”

“Two women just got brought in not long ago. Rain Casey and Talia Turner,” Neo said, doing her level best not to sound angry. “I need to know where they are.”

The nurse turned to her computer and quickly typed away.

“You might not have their names. One is seventeen, about five eight, five nine. Shoulder length dark hair. The other is thirty six, long sandy blonde hair, about five seven. Please, just find them.”

The nurse could tell that the girl was obviously distraught. “I have them. They’re both in intensive care.” She looked at Neo. “Your relationship with them?”

“They’re my world,” Neo said, fighting to keep control of herself. “Can I see them?”

The woman would have said no, given that Neo wasn’t family and it was well past visiting hours but she could see the raging storm in the girl’s dark eyes and understood immediately that denying her the right would have been a monumental mistake. “They’re both unconscious. The doctors aren’t sure how long they’ll both be out.”

“I don’t care. I just have to see them. I _have_ to,” Neo said to the woman. “Please.” She added through tightly clenched teeth. Her knuckles cracked as she tightened her fists.

“Room two twenty-seven. Try to keep it down, please.”

Neo nodded and ran to the elevator. She made to the girls’ room seconds later. She eased the door open and closed it behind her. The room was silent except for the beeping and hissing of the equipment. She swallowed and moved over to the two beds. Her lip quivered as she stared down at them.

Both women were pale as could be. Each of them had large bandages on their necks and tubes in their mouths to help them breathe. Neo fought the urge to let out an enraged scream.

“I made sure and let the physicians know that they should be together.”

Neo turned to the darkened shadow in the corner of the room. Niravatheu stepped forward into the moonlight coming in from the window. For almost a minute straight, she stared at him. She moved over and looked up into his eyes. She then pulled him in and hugged him tightly to her. “Thank you,” she said, her voice cracking.

He was stunned a moment, then lay her hands upon her back. “You are most welcome.” He returned.

Neo released him and stepped back, regaining her composure. “Why did you make the trip from Paso Robles?”

“I learned that Dracula was in town and well, I’ll tell you the same thing I told him earlier this night. It isn’t every day you get to see a legend fall.”

Neo turned toward him. “You talked to him?”

“I came upon him when he was looking for underlings among the vampire community to deliver his message.” He motioned toward the two unconscious ladies. “He found that he is alone in his desire to see you angered. None of those he attempted to recruit were willing to raise your ire.”

“Because they aren’t fucking stupid,” Neo said to him. “But you told him you would?”

“I did. But instead of dumping them upon your doorstep as I’m sure he wished me to, I brought them here to see they received the care they needed.” He looked at Neo.

“I appreciate it,” she offered to him.

“I know from our last encounter that this one,” He pointed to Rain, “keeps you grounded. I can only assume, from Dracula’s targeting of her, that she plays a similar role.” He motioned to Talia.

“I love them both,” Neo said. “And if they were to die on me…” She let the words hang.

Niravatheu nodded. “You would lose what precious hold you have upon your sanity. No one, not even me would be safe from you then.”

Neo looked at him. “You saved the pair of them. If not for you, these two might not have made it. I don’t forget shit like that. Portland is a free zone for you. Just try not to kill people. Other than that, you got a home here.” She offered her hand to him. “You need any help, you let me know.”

He smiled and took her hand. “I am honored. I know not many of my kind would receive such an invitation.”

“Just one other,” Neo said to him.

“You no doubt wish to be alone with your lady loves. I’ll leave you be,” he said, giving her an elegant bow.

“Stick around town. You’ll get to see what you came hundreds of miles for,” Neo said to him. “The death of a legend.”

“I’ll await the fight with rapt anticipation.”

“Just out of curiosity, how did you get here?” Neo couldn’t help but ask.

“In Paso Robles, I am judge, jury, and executioner.” He grinned at her. “And what better way for a Judge to travel, then behind the wheel of another.”

“GTO Judge?” Neo asked.

He gave a nod. “I thought it fitting.”

“Nice,” she said, smiling. “Thanks again.”

“My pleasure. Good night, Neo Knight,” he said, sweeping from the room.

She turned back to the girls in bed and sighed heavily. “I’m gonna tear him apart,” she said, her voice taking on a steely edge. A few minutes later, Sadiira and Nadiira entered the room quietly. She regarded them intently. “Quan back with Cerri?” She asked the pair.

They both nodded. “He has already proven that he is willing to stop at nothing to distract you,” Sadiira said.

“Idiot,” Nadiira said as she moved over to the chair and set her bag down. “He’ll learn.” She handed Neo her earpiece. “Quan and Cerri are on.”

Neo put it back in her ear. She’d left it in the car. “Go ahead.”

“You’re goin’ after him tonight, aren’t you?” Quan asked.

“I have to,” Neo said. “Because who knows who he’s gonna try to take tomorrow.”

“You know this is what he wants,” Cerri said to her. “We should wait. We can batten down the hatches and wait for him to come to us.”

“Because he won’t,” Neo said, shaking her head. “That ain’t the way he operates. He won’t come at us directly. He’ll fuckin’ wait us out.” She rubbed her face in her hands. “He’ll play me against all of you.”

“What do you-?” Cerri began to ask but Quan cut her off.

“He’ll bank on the fact that Neo’s impatient. She’ll start going crazy just waiting. She’ll make a mistake. That and with Rain and Talia in the hospital, our forces will be divided.”

“This fucker knows me too well. That’s why I gotta take him out tonight,” Neo said. “And that’s why I’m gonna give him exactly what he wants.”

“He’s counting on you to be alone and angry,” Cerri said, emotion choking her voice.

“That’s the best way for him to find her,” Nadiira said. She looked into Neo’s eyes. “Right now…” She shook her head. “We’d just get in her way.”

“Maybe I should come to the hospital and stay with the twins. That way Quan can come with you.”

“No. This place is warded to beat hell,” Quan said. “You’re safer here. The hospital is a public building. He could come at us through the ventilation system with his whole mist bullshit. He can’t do that here.”

“Either way you slice it, it has to be me and him,” Neo said.

“He’s Dracula, Neo,” Cerri said. “There’s a reason he’s talked about.”

“I know, Cerri. And I’m Neo Knight. There’s a reason shit avoids me like the fucking plague.” She looked at the twins. “The Legend versus the Icon.”

“Over our dead bodies,” Sadiira said to Neo flicking her eyes toward the pair in the beds.

Neo nodded her understanding. “This ends tonight,” she said, before turning toward the door.

“There’s a surprise in the trunk of the car,” Nadiira said. “You’ve seen us use it enough.” She stepped over and stood in front of the potential. “Don’t fight his fight. Make him fight yours. You know who you are.” She pulled Neo down and kissed her on the forehead. “Show him the warrior in here.” She tapped Neo’s chest. “Make him pay for _them_.” She pointed to the girls in the beds. “This is your town.”

Neo shook her head. “No, this is _our_ town.”

“Not tonight it’s not,” Nadiira said. “But just for tonight.”

“Fair enough,” Neo said, nodding. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” With that, she left the room and made her way down to the Crown Victoria. She opened the trunk and smiled. Sitting on top of everything was the twins’ M32 Grenade Launcher and two extra drums of ammunition. “Jesus Christ.” She reached down and lifted it. She ejected the drum and looked at the rounds. “Armor piercing explosive. Nice.” She looked at the other grenades. She had a reload of Magnesium Phosphorous and a reload of what could only be described as Napalm. “Fuck me. That’s gonna make things really interesting.”

She set the weapon down and once again donned her body armor and assault vest. She made sure everything was in its place, then took the grenade launcher and the extra rounds before slamming the deck lid and climbing behind the wheel.

She pulled out of the parking lot and drove straight to the castle in the woods. It was a bit of a gamble, she knew. Dracula might not even be there but she didn’t have anything else to go on. But given that he had wanted so desperately for her to receive his message, she thought it was a safe bet. She couldn’t help but smile. How surprised he was gonna be.

It didn’t take her long to get there. Just a ways back from the road sat the stone edifice. She climbed out and took the grenade launcher with her. She also made sure she had the extras in her knapsack. She knew how to use it just fine. “Say ‘ello to my lil' friend,” she said to herself in a horrible Tony Montana impression as she leveled the weapon at the stone building and fired. She made sure to aim at key positions to do maximum damage.

And maximum damage, it did. The explosives impacted the masonry and burrowed into the stone before detonating. She made her way about the building, blasting away. The grenades brought the structure down, section by section. Neo didn’t relent. She made two more circuits of the exterior, sending superheated Magnesium over the stone, melting it like candle wax, she then let the flaming gel rain down, setting the stone ablaze. When she was done, the castle was a pile of flaming rubble. She tossed the weapon in through the open window of the car and sat upon the hood, waiting.

Dracula started when he heard the first explosion. In a manner of seconds, several more followed. His home was suddenly falling down around him. He didn’t even have time to flee before he was buried by a mountain of debris. He could feel the heat as the detritus was then set on fire. How stone was burning, he had no idea but there it was. Finally, the explosions ceded. He was beyond angry.

Neo watched as the pile shuddered and shifted. Slowly, the beast she had come to see climbed from the flotsam that had once been his magnificent castle home. He rose to his feet atop the pile, framed by the moonlight. “Knock, knock bitch,” she said, resting on the hood of the car with her arms crossed. “Might wanna call a contractor. Looks like you got a little fire damage.” She eased away from the rig and began moving toward him. “I got your message. Loud and _fucking_ clear. You really didn’t think this through, motherfucker,” Neo said, cracking her knuckles and rolling her head around on her shoulders. “You got no idea what you’ve done.”

“Oh, I think I do,” he said, smiling.

“Yeah, the fact that you’re smiling right now says otherwise. All you’ve done is taken my fuckin’ safety off, shithead.” She stopped a couple of feet from him. She began circling, sizing him up. “I’m not like the others you’ve dealt with. When you piss me off as bad as you have? It doesn’t shake me. It doesn’t take me off my game. It makes everything in my world crystal fucking clear.”

“Empty words from a scared little girl,” Dracula returned.

“So what do you say? You want a shot at the title?” she asked him, getting into a fighting stance.

“Indeed I do,” he said, facing off as well.

Neo’s fist shot out toward his face. He leaned back and slapped it aside. Her follow-up strike came even closer but was likewise pushed away. She could feel her anger welling up and she welcomed it. She moved in closer, losing a quick salvo of punches. Dracula was calm and collected and able to move most of the strikes aside. But after a brief exchange, one snuck through.

He was immediately surprised by the girl’s blinding speed and her incredible strength. Her fist crashed into his left cheek, spinning him in place. She capitalized on his distraction and landed a hard straight kick to his stomach, throwing him backward to slam to the ground.

He was back to his feet with a quick kick of his legs. Neo was nearly on top of him. He decided to go on the offensive. No stranger to hand to hand combat, he delivered several measured strikes. Neo stood her ground, not backing off in the slightest. She protected her face but paid little attention to her body. His fists plowed into her ribs and stomach but did little damage thanks to the body armor she wore.

He growled and drew back for an uppercut that connected with her direct. Neo was lifted from her feet and tossed backward. She hit the ground and rolled, coming back to her feet. Dracula, like her, gave little reprieve.

But Neo didn’t need one. She intercepted him, spearing him to the ground mid-stride. She landed on top of him and drew her fist back, ready to let fly. As soon as her blow descended, he was little save a cloud of mist. Her hand drove into the grass. She flipped forward and came to her feet as his boot narrowly missed her head. As he was turning with the force of his attack, she was again in motion. Her foot slammed into the apex of his legs.

Dracula felt his testicles crunch beneath her heavy black steel-toe boot. He immediately dropped to his knees, gripping his brutalized crotch. Neo spun on her heel. Her foot hit the side of his face so hard, his vision went black for a heartbeat before he was hammered to the ground.

Neo growled and jumped, landing atop his chest with both knees. His ribcage gave out with a grotesque crunch. She shoulder rolled and came around to see him dissipate and float away on the breeze. He didn’t reappear.

She slowly rose to her feet. She stood, fuming. “I’m gonna find you, you son of a bitch. Trust me. There’s nowhere you can go, nothing you can do.” She slowly turned to the car and walked toward it.

She made it a dozen paces before sharp pointed teeth clamped about her right calf. She felt the flesh rend and tear as she hit the ground, hard. She let out a painful cry. She quickly rolled to her back to see a large gray wolf lunging at her throat. She snarled and caught the animal’s muzzle, keeping it from tearing her neck apart. Her hand was jammed sideways into his mouth, holding him at bay. Dracula’s skin was sizzling as the cross etched studs and metal on the back of Neo’s gloves scorched his flesh. She acted quickly as the canine tried to draw away and drove her thumb into the wolf’s eye. He let out a piteous high pitched yelp and rushed away from her.

His form melted back to that of a man. He staggered about, his hands pressed to his eye.

Neo kicked herself to her feet and nearly fell as her right leg, now bleeding and torn, barely kept her upright. “Mother _fucker_!” She said under her breath. She rushed forward, ignoring the pain and again speared Dracula to the ground. She landed hard upon him, her hand on his neck. “Fucking _die_!” She said, clenching her fist. She felt his throat crunch. The heavy gray cross-stitched into the palm of her glove again seared his skin. She could smell it burn. Dracula used to not having to breathe was affected only by the pain. He landed a hard right cross to her jaw. He could see the impact had an effect on her body. Her head whipped to the side. Bloodshot from her mouth.

But her grip didn’t lessen. Her strength didn’t wane. Her eyes turned back to him, unfazed. “You hit like a fuckin’ pussy.” She snarled, driving her own fist down into his face. His nose broke, splattering across his cheek.

Again he was nothing but mist. Neo rose to her feet, swiping wildly at the cloud. She was pleasantly surprised as she saw embers among the fog. She kept at it, following the vapor. Each punch gave her the same result. Fog or not, wolf or not, Dracula was still a vampire. And no matter how small, crosses still hurt.

She fell to her knees as her tore-up leg gave out. Dracula likewise reformed and fell to the ground. His clothing was tattered and burnt as was part of his flesh. “You’re not getting away from me, you piece of fuckin’ shit.” She got to her feet and rushed him. He met her head on, using her own medicine upon her. He dipped low, his shoulder impacting her stomach, his arms wrapping about her waist.

Neo grunted, ignoring the pain in her leg and set her feet. Dracula was shocked to find her not yielding to his tackle. Neo wrapped her own arms about his waist, and lifted him up, before dropping him onto his head, neck and shoulders, unceremoniously. She immediately pulled a stake from her vest. She jumped and landed hard on his chest. She moved to shove the stake into his heart.

He caught her wrist, keeping the weapon at bay. Neo dropped her other hand onto the butt of the stake and pushed. The pair engaged in a test of strength. He was completely and utterly amazed at how physically strong the girl was. He’d fought many humans over the years but he’d never met one that had this kind of raw brute strength. “Just…fucking… _DIE_!” She screamed at him through clenched teeth.

His arms were trembling with the effort to keep her stake away from his heart. And again, he was gone, rushing away in a cloud of fine mist. She tried to get back to her feet but she couldn’t. Her leg wouldn’t support her. She was nauseated by blood loss and pain. She screamed and defied what her body was telling her and managed to struggle to her feet. “NO! Come back here, you fucking-,”

“Stop!” Dracula shouted, coalescing several feet away from her. He backed up as she shambled toward him, limping heavily. “It is over,” he said, pain wracking his undead form.

Neo snarled at him. “You’re still fucking standing. Until you’re dust, it’ll never be over.”

“It _is_ over, Neo Knight.” He took another long step away from her. “Look at yourself. You are bleeding to death. I have torn a major artery.”

“Don’t care. I still got enough to take your ass out before I die.” She continued to awkwardly stalk toward him.

For his part, Dracula was utterly amazed. The girl seemed unstoppable. “Do you not fear death, child?” He asked her.

“I’m not afraid anything,” Neo said to him. “Death is the worst case scenario.” She shook her head. “And I’m okay with biting it as long as I can take you with me.”

“I don’t want you to die,” he said, his tone suddenly filled with emotion. “Not now.”

 _That_ stopped her. “What?”

“I have fought hundreds, _thousands_ of men and women. I’ve slain Generals, slaughtered Kings, and cut down warriors and demon hunters alike.” He shook his head. “But you, my dear Neo Knight, you are a breed apart. You have truly embraced what it means to be a beast. More so than I, I am ashamed to admit. Perhaps in a previous life but…not here. Not now. Not like you. I see now why you have the reputation you do.” He held his hands out wide. “Rose City is yours. I will never darken this town again.”

“So I’m just supposed to trust you?” She asked him.

“Of the few things I have left to my name, my word is something I cherish above all.”

Neo stared at him a moment. “Get out of Portland. Tonight,” she said to him. She was tired and in incredible pain. But she would be _damned_ if she would tell him that.

“Then I take my leave,” he said, to her. His form was immediately gone, replaced by a large black bat. He flittered away into the night sky.

She watched him go for several minutes before falling to the ground, clutching at her shredded leg.

“That was…brutal,” Niravatheu said as he emerged from the shadows.

“Glad you enjoyed the show,” she said, slowly trying to get up. She hit the ground again, hard. She had nothing left. She was weak and shaky from the blood loss. Dracula was right. He’d more than likely nicked an artery.

He stopped beside her, a first aid kit in his hands. “The keys were still in the trunk lock,” he said by way of her questioning glance. He quickly bandaged her leg. “We need to get you to the hospital.”

Neo didn’t have the energy to argue. “’Kay,” she said, softly. “Thanks.”

“I think at this point, I feel safe in saying this.” He looked her in the eye. “You would do the same for me.”

She stared at him a moment. “Yeah, I would,” she said, giving him a smile. “You’re a good dude, Niravatheu.” As he moved to speak, she waved a hand. “Don’t worry. I won’t let it get out.”

“I appreciate that.” He handed her the first aid kit and lifted her in his arms. “I have a reputation to maintain.” He added as he carried her to the car.


	57. Chapter 57

 

Talia pulled the Crown Victoria into the bay beside the lifted Van and the partially disassembled Raptor. She, Neo, and Rain all climbed out of the rig.

“So what’d the Doc say?” Quan asked, pointing to Neo’s right leg.

Neo shrugged. “Says it’s fine. It’s still a little ginger but otherwise, I should be a hundred percent.”

Talia sighed and shook her head. Rain saw the elder woman and chuckled. “Don’t lie, Alice. He said you should be a hundred percent in another week or so and that you should take it easy until then.”

Neo waved her off and drained the bottle of water she pulled from the fridge beside Cerri’s terminal. “He also said that it would take a week before the stitches needed to come out. Took what? Three days?” She asked. “I’m not being a hardass, Tal. I heal faster than that.” She lifted her leg and flexed it. “I feel fine.”

Talia furrowed her brow. “Come with me,” she said, moving over to the workout area. “You can prove your leg is back up to snuff.”

Neo moved to toss the bottle in the trash. She stopped when she heard the crack of a stun gun behind her. She raised an eyebrow and saw Nadiira arm's length from her. She sighed and turned, tossing the bottle into the recycling bin. She then looked back to the gun toting twin with her head cocked. Nadiira nodded and turned the gun off, putting it back in her holster. Neo shook her head and followed her Watcher.

Rain watched the display and stepped over beside Cerri. “Would she really have used the stun gun on Neo if she tossed that bottle in the trash can?”

“What?” Cerri asked, looking up from her work. She looked at the pair in question. “Oh, yeah.” She went back to what she was doing. “She’s done it quite a few times.”

“I thought the stun gun-,” Rain began.

“An emergency measure to keep Neo in check?” Cerri finished for her, regarding the teen. “Most of the time, yeah. But the twins are more efficient than that.”

“Was that gun set to max?” Rain asked, curious.

“Yep. Nine hundred thousand volts. Put a normal man to the dirt. But Neo, it doesn’t really do anything more than piss her off. It’s the electrical equivalent of slapping her across the face.” She turned to the Potential. “We only got one gun that can actually put Neo to the floor. Seven point five million volts but it fries the battery every time we use it so we have one shot. If you don’t hit the sweet spot,” Cerri tapped the back of her neck at the base of her skull. “You’re just gonna activate her fight or flight response and jack her adrenaline up to eleven.”

“Christ,” Rain said, shaking her head. “Can I ask you an honest question?” Cerri looked at her. “Do you think Neo is completely human?”

“So the rulebooks say,” Cerri said. “But just because she’s human, doesn’t mean she’s _normal_.”

“I doubt any of us could be considered normal,” Rain said, sitting down on the chair beside the young hacker. She leaned back and watched as Neo and Talia sparred.

“Neo is just made of awesome,” Cerri said, looking at her lead singer. While she loved Quan with a fiery, fiery passion and she liked the twins like a pair of sisters, she just…she _believed_ in Neo. Neo, no matter what came, no matter what happened to her, in Cerri’s eyes, she would always, _always_ bounce back. She would never give up, never surrender. “She’s a Spartan.”

Rain could see the sheer amount of just plain out and out respect all of the girls had for their beloved leader. Neo was impulsive, rash, blunt to the point of abject rudeness and had mental issues that would provide many a therapist a very lucrative career with little else. Alice Frog indeed had her problems and idiosyncrasies but learning what Neo had done when she found out what Dracula did to both her and Talia… Well, it was safe to say that for all of Neo’s faults, her love for those she called family was without limit. There was absolutely nothing she wouldn’t do, no lengths she wouldn’t go to for those she cared about. The tears in Neo’s eyes when she and Talia awoke proved that.

Neo hadn’t let the pair of them out of her sight since. And Rain had no problem with that. She’d made great strides in her time beside the potential. But there were times when she was still afraid. But with Neo at her side, she just didn’t worry. Neo was the kind of hero stories were written about. Of course, Neo wasn’t the one to admit that to. She hated that people besides Cerri saw her as a hero.

Neo was completely unaware of Rain’s introspection. She squared off with Talia, her fists and feet smacked into the pads the Watcher held out in front of her in rapid succession. When Talia first met Neo, she was all rage and power. She had a few techniques to draw from but she seemed to have little in the way of true _skill_. The time she spent with the Watcher’s Council had worked wonders. Now, Neo actually showed something approaching finesse when she fought. The repeated _smack, smack, smack_ of blows landing rang out in the warehouse.

Talia stepped back and held both of her pads to the side. “Now that you’re warmed up, give me everything you’ve got.”

Neo backed off a touch then stepped in, spun on her left heel and slammed her right leg directly into the pads. She had thrown everything into the attack. Her limb responded without pain or hesitation. Talia accepted the blow but was nowhere near prepared for it.

The woman was taken off her feet and hurtled across the mat to slam onto her back. She slid a couple of feet before coming to rest. “Bloody _hell_ ,” she said from her spot on the floor.

Neo was right there with a smile on her face. She offered her love her hand. “Tell you everything you need to know?”

Talia took it and was pulled to her feet. “Yes, it does.” She put the pads down and shook her arms. “That bloody hurts.”

“Like I said. I heal fast,” Neo said, still grinning.

“Yeah. Definitely not normal,” Rain said, rising to her feet and walking toward her girlfriends.

Cerri flicked her eyes to the screens as she typed and stopped. “Huh,” she said, bringing one of the frames up onto the main monitor. “Well, well, well.”

Neo and Talia moved up behind her. “What do you got?”

“Von Durenburg crypt,” Cerri said. “Someone’s home.”

Neo leaned in and looked intently. “I see some movement. We got thermal in that cemetery?” The girl nodded and brought it up. “No heat sigs.”

“Vampires?” Talia asked.

“Yes indeed,” Neo said, happily. She slapped the desk repeatedly. “Hot damn, we got us a ballgame. Profile it, Cerri. I want an accurate count in ninety.”

“On it,” the hacker offered, throwing multiple angles up onto the screen.

“You really get into this, don’t you?” Rain asked the youngest member of the team.

“Beats the alternative,” Cerri said as she began sifting out the individual vampires she saw.

“Get the van ready, Quan. Game time,” Neo said as she headed upstairs.

The big woman nodded and stepped over to the rig. The twins both began gathering their arsenal.

Rain looked at Talia. “Well oiled machine,” the potential said to her Watcher.

 

Neo stood beside Quan, flexing her fists and grinning like a skull. “So how many did you count again, Cerri?” She asked, cheerfully.

The girl sighed. “Seventeen. The number hasn’t changed, Neo.”

“I know. I just like hearing you say it.” The potential bobbed up and down on her feet and bent over, stretching. “Fuck me, this is gonna be fun.” She turned to Rain. The girl was checking over her bow to make sure everything was copacetic. “You two got us covered?” She knew the question was redundant but it had become habit to ask the twins about their positions. Though they never had, she didn’t want to assume and get bum rushed while hearing. “We weren’t ready,” just before she and Quan went on the offensive.

“In position,” Sadiira said, nodding. Her sister was right beside her. Both had their .50 sniper rifles settled and had eyes on the crypt on the far side of the cemetery.

“Then let’s get this party started.” Quan offered. The trio moved down the small rise and stalked steadily toward the collection of vampires.

Upon learning that the nest was present, Neo did wonder briefly how they had managed to amass so quickly. In the end, however, it really didn’t matter. They were going to be dead soon, so there was no point pondering it. “Good evening, ladies and gentleman,” she said to the group. “Lovely night, isn’t it?”

As one, they all turned to face her and her companions. “Who the hell are you?” one of them asked.

Neo chuckled as she stopped a few feet from them. “You really don’t know?” she asked. “Seventeen of you and none of you know who I am?” They all looked at each other and shook their heads. Neo turned to Quan and Rain. “Wow. Been a long time since I heard that.” She looked back to the undead beasts. “Maybe you all shoulda done your homework.”

“Fuck you talkin’ about?” another asked sharply.

“This is Neo Knight,” Rain said, thumbing toward the potential.

Sudden dawning spread across the faces of the vampires. “Bullshit.” “She’s just a fuckin’ myth.” Both were responses she liked but her favorite was “She’s like, seven feet tall and built like a linebacker. You’re fuckin’ tiny.” Given that she was nearly six feet in her bare feet and weighed just south of a buck eighty, she wasn’t anywhere close to _tiny_. But given that a six and a half foot three hundred pound slab with no neck had said it, she let it go.

“Then let’s get to it so you shit stains can learn the hard way,” Neo said, rolling her head about on her neck.

And the fight was on. The vampires, as a group rushed the three of them. Neo shot forward like a striking rattlesnake. Her arms were both outstretched, taking two vampires across the throats with a pair of clotheslines that immediately dropped both to the grass. She turned and launched a hard right cross that impacted the third vampire in the mouth so hard, his jaw broke and sent teeth flying from his face. He spun to the ground, dazed.

Rain let fly with an arrow and had another knocked and ready in a heartbeat. The missile sank deep into the vampire’s chest. As he crumbled into dust, another arrow sailed through the cloud and thudded into another demon’s heart, likewise sending him back to the hell dimension that spawned him. She dropped to her knee and spun, taking aim on another vampire before she realized how close he truly was. She had the string drawn but knew she wouldn’t be able to let rip in time. Terror gripped her heart like an icy fist.

The .50 caliber round did exactly as it was designed to do, blasting the vampire’s head to vapor amid a sharp thunderclap. The beast staggered and fell upon her, exploding into dust as he did so.

She closed her eyes and turned away. She looked to where the twins were and gave a nod. She knew they’d see her. Then she was again in motion, drawing, and firing, taking yet another demon-possessed monster down.

Quan was content to let Neo go wild. Unlike her beloved leader, she didn’t get the unparalleled thrill from vampire slaying. Her true passion was cars. But that wasn’t to say she didn’t enjoy it. As was evidenced when one of the vampires rushed her, deciding to try her on. She ducked below his sloppy haymaker and delivered a hard forearm to his stomach. He immediately stopped all forward momentum. She shot upward, her elbow coming up to smash into his chin. His jaw shattered like glass and he was lifted from his feet to fall hard onto his back. She snatched the stake from her belt and drove it home, dusting him in record time. Without looking, she threw the stake to the side, taking another undead from the fight. It was just another day in the neighborhood as far as she was concerned.

Neo, for her part, was having the time of her life. Her fists came down like sledgehammers, her feet impacted like wrecking balls. Every vampire that stepped up was beaten down mercilessly. Many of those that had challenged had gotten lucky and landed a few shots… for all of the good it did them. A cut had formed over Neo’s left eye, her lip was split and she had a fairly nasty bruise along the right side of her jaw. But through it all, she didn’t stop smiling. There was absolutely nothing pleasant about the expression.

Every so often a loud report would rend the air. All three of the front line warriors knew it was more likely as not stragglers that were trying to leg it. The twins were fastidious in their role. None would escape. That was the law of Portland. If you weren’t human, a few outliers aside, you had a large bull’s eye on your back. And Demon Queller never missed.

Neo gripped the last vampire by the throat and slammed her down onto the grass. The girl couldn’t have been any older than Neo’s eighteen years. She was dressed like she’d just left the set of an eighties pop video. She grimaced and did her best to free herself of the teen’s vise-like grip but to no avail. “You know, I’m gonna be honest,” Neo said, staring down at the vampire. She raked her eyes over her form. “Nice set of tits, really nice legs, kinda cute…” She grinned. “A few months ago, I’d have probably fucked the shit outta you before I killed you.” She leaned down within an inch of the beast’s face. “Made you scream my name before sending you back to hell.” The vampire hissed and growled at her. “Now?” She pulled a stake from her belt. “I’m just gonna make you scream. I want you to tell all your friends about me when you get back to the dank, shit filled abyss you come from. Tell ‘em all Neo’s waiting for ‘em in Portland. And they’re welcome anytime.”

“Fuck you,” the girl snapped.

Neo quickly rammed the stake into the vampire’s right eye. “I didn’t quite catch that.” All she received was a shrill shriek in return.

Rain watched the display and felt bile rise in her throat. Though she shared no love for the vampire menace, there were certain things that Neo did that she just couldn’t stomach. She turned away. “I can’t watch this.”

Quan stood with her arms crossed. “She’s just venting some frustration. Dracula getting away really got to her. This is payback.”

Rain nodded. “I know. It’s just disquieting.”

Neo wasn’t listening. She prompted the girl to continue. “No, you were saying something important.” She chuckled. “Oh, I know what you were saying. It was something like this…” She plunged the stake into the vampire’s other eye, receiving another piercing scream. She ripped the stake free. “No, no, no that wasn’t it.” As the girl’s mouth was open and screaming, Neo rammed the wood in, punching a hole through the back of her neck. She went from squealing to gurgling and gagging. Neo couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, that sounds more like it.”

Talia watched the camera angles and understood Rain’s discomfort. She knew Neo was a brutal and sadistic hunter. What she did to many of the vampires she caught was part and parcel of who she was. Being as harsh and visceral as she was, was essentially her trademark. It was what had garnered her the reputation she had.

“For God’s sake, that is _enough_!” A deep cultured voice called from within the crypt. All three girls lifted their heads and watched as a tall figure emerged from the darkness. “What sort of animal are you to torture her thus?”

Neo looked him up and down. He cut a rather dashing figure in his black leather pants, knee high boots and white billowing shirt. She slowly pulled the stake from the girl’s mouth. “Well, what have we got here?” Her smile grew wider. “Pirates of the Caribbean called. Captain Jack Sparrow wants his wardrobe back.”

Whoever he was, he wasn’t amused. “You are a monster. She is but a girl.”

Neo, to prove the man’s point, slowly, deliberately pushed the stake up through the bottom of the vampire’s chin. “You’re Goddamn right I am.” Again the girl shrieked in horrendous pain.

The undead pirate took a step and was stopped cold as a pair of bullets bit into the ground in front of him, forming holes the size of basketballs in the dirt. He looked about but could see nothing.

Neo chuckled and put the stake away, pulling instead of the large bowie knife she carried on her back. “Of all of these fucktards, I’m betting _you_ know exactly who I am,” she said to him. “Don’t you, Fabio?”

He tightened his jaw in anger. “You are Neo Knight.”

She smiled brightly at him. “Good. You’re not as dumb as you look. This little bitch didn’t understand that. Betting she does now.” She began sawing at the girl’s neck, cutting her head from her body. The young vampire put up a struggle but even her undead strength couldn’t free her from the terrible potential’s clutches.

“You are worse than a beast.” He snarled at her. “Try such things with me and-,”

“Patience, Hoss. I’m performing surgery,” Neo said, as she finished cutting the girl’s head free. As her skull fell away, her body finally, mercifully crumbled into dust. Neo rose to her feet. “One down, one to go.” She spun the blade in her hand. “Your turn, Jean-Claude.”

He rushed toward her, going game face as he did so. He made it two steps before both of his legs were blown off at the knee. He roared in pain. Neo’s hand shot out, gripping him by the throat and holding him aloft. She pulled him in close and stared into his eyes. “We are the whispered breath of angels. We are the torture in your dreams. We are the dammed immortal strangers. Out from the shadows hear the screams.” She let go of him and rammed a stake into his chest. He hung suspended for a brief moment. “We only come out at night.” She added before he crumbled into dust. She stood there a moment. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back, letting the cool night breeze caress her flushed skin.

“Feel better?” Quan asked as she stepped up to the girl.

“Worlds,” Neo said, happily. She opened her eyes and turned to Rain. “Come here.” Her fellow potential gave her a smile and did as she was bid. Neo wrapped her arm about the girl’s waist and pulled her close, plundering her mouth with her tongue. After a moment, the pair parted. “Don’t think I forgot about you, Tal,” Neo said as she let Rain go. “Gonna need a lot of lovin’ after a fight like this.”

Talia was a tad turned off by the display she just watched. But the thought of Neo and Rain’s hands all over her body did much to fire her back up. “Then you should hurry. Lest I be forced to start without you,” Talia said into the earpiece.

“Drive, Quan. Drive like the wind,” Rain said, shoving Neo toward the van.

Sadiira and Nadiira just looked at each other as they gathered their gear. “You know,” Sadiira began. “I’m beginning to think it’s time I start looking for a boyfriend.”

“He better like twins,” Nadiira offered, firmly.

“What boy doesn’t like twin sisters?” Sadiira asked.

“Gay ones.”

“Touche,” Sadiira said with a grin. They were trotting off toward the parked van a heartbeat later.


	58. Chapter 58

Buffy knelt beside the mausoleum and held her breath. Her heart was pumping furiously. She took a chance and peaked about the edge of the crypt. Her stomach turned at the display. The small group of vampires she’d encountered were in the midst of – literally – being torn apart.

She’d seen the vampire’s attackers before. During the homecoming dance her senior year, she’d dealt with one of them. Tall, well muscled with boney plates running in parallel lines down their backs. He was a skilled warrior, able to pull blades of bone from his very flesh. She wasn’t sure what he was or where he came from, and she surely didn’t know where the group of six of them had come from now.

All she did know was that she was in trouble. Vampires were one thing but these demons were a breed apart. She huffed angrily. Armed with nothing but a stake, she was fairly certain that they would make short work of her. She would take one, maybe two before she was cut apart. She was a lot of things but a master swordsman wasn’t among them.

It was deceptively simple. Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, needed help. She rose to her feet and bolted, leaving the demon-possessed corpses to their fate. She was fairly certain that the beasts wouldn’t just gallivant about the city, taking out civilians. They were hunters, that much she knew. And there was no sport in killing unarmed citizens. No, she was sure they were here for the Hellmouth. And they were here for her.

She trotted across the manicured lawn and to her yellow Jeep Wrangler. She climbed behind the wheel and headed for home. She had a phone call to make.

 

Rite leaned back in her chair staring at the screens. Haru, Alexia, Faith, and Kat moved together as a group, stalking in toward an extremely large nest of vampires in a cemetery on the north end of town. Steele, Shelby, and Max were out in Fife, dealing with yet another.

Suddenly, the phone beside her rang. She reached up and tapped one of the many buttons on her earpiece. “S three dot com. How can we help you?”

“Is this Rite?”

The hacker flicked her eyes to the caller ID on the phone. “Hey, Buffy. What’s up?”

“I um…”

“Um,” Rite said, smiling. “That a technical term?”

“I need help,” Buffy said, not sure what to say. “I’m not sure how this works.”

“You’re a hunter for the site, Buffy. You ask for help, I direct someone down there to help you. Pretty cut and dry. What’s going on?”

“I’ve got demon trouble.”

“Par for the course living on a Hellmouth, isn’t it?” Rite asked, sitting up straight. “What kind of demon problem? Tell me what you’re dealing with.”

“I don’t know what they’re called,” Buffy began.

“Description,” Rite said, simply.

“Yellow skin. Boney plates like a stegosaurus on their heads and down their backs.”

“Miquot,” Rite said quickly. “We’ve dealt with them before. Nasty pieces of work. Exceptional knife-fighters. How many you got?”

“At least six that I know of. There might be more.”

“Fair enough. We’re all kind of busy up here but I’ll send someone down. You’re gonna need someone that’s good with weapons.” Rite bit her lip, then grinned. “I got just the person. Sit tight. Help is on the way.”

Buffy smiled brightly. “Thanks, Rite.”

 “That’s what I’m here for.” She responded before she terminated the call.

Buffy frowned and looked at the phone. “So that’s what people on the other end of phone calls in movies feel like.” She tucked her phone away and headed home. She pulled up to the driveway and stopped in front of the garage. Gathering her keys and her jacket, she stepped out, unlocked the door and gently closed it behind her. Her stomach growled as she tossed her jacket onto the sofa. She entered the kitchen, pulled open the fridge and smiled as she saw a plate with two pastrami sandwiches sitting on the top shelf. “Nice,” she said, taking the plate and setting it behind her on the counter.

She took a diet soda out and stood at the island, eating her food and drinking her beverage. With fatigue dragging her down, Buffy left the kitchen and made her way upstairs. She pushed open her bedroom door, flicking on the light as she did so.

She pulled her yummy sushi pajamas from her dresser and went into the bathroom to take a hot shower, ignoring everything else in her bedroom. She’d managed to dust a couple of vampires during the night, one of which put up quite a fight. She let the water wash away the dust and grime. With her hair still wet from the shower, she dropped her clothes in the hamper and was looking forward to some much needed rest.

The thought of sleep, however, was suddenly the furthest thing from her mind. Irpa lay upon her bed, clad in nothing save a sheer powder blue negligee, staring at her with bright green eyes and a longing smile. “Hello,” she said, quietly. “I hope you don’t mind. Joyce let me in before she left.”

“Wh-uh, um.” Buffy swallowed. “Where’d she go?” She was desperately trying to forget that she had a – as near as makes no difference – naked fourteen and a half year old girl in her bed. Buffy had to literally fight to keep eye contact.

“New York, remember? The new exhibit for her gallery?” Irpa responded.

“That was _tonight_?” Buffy asked.

Irpa nodded. “So she’s gone.” She rose to her feet. In the three and a half months, the girl had definitely started growing up. Her long flame red hair now reached the middle of her back. Her body, once verging on skinny, was lean and corded. She’d taken to her training fervently and it showed. Buffy couldn’t deny that the girl was cute as hell. Having called it quits with Riley just after Irpa had shown up, she was feeling a tad on the lonely side, it had to be said. She missed the whole Netflix and chill of having a relationship.

Ever since she broke it off with the ex-soldier, Irpa had been right there to help her pick up the pieces. When she broke down, saying that she was stupid for leaving him, Irpa was the first to comfort her. Willow and Jerri both tried but it was Irpa that would stay up with her and let her cry on her shoulder.

Yes, it was safe to say that Buffy was actually starting to like the eager little potential. Buffy did do her best not to lead Irpa on. She tried very hard to maintain her distance and not let the girl get too close but the fiery young potential was relentless. When the pair sparred, Irpa’s eyes, fingers, and hands would linger a bit more than was necessary. She was always complimenting Buffy on her clothes and hair. She’d even taken to coming over and cooking meals for the slayer when she returned from patrol.

On more than one occasion, Irpa would even run her a hot bath, then give her a massage to help loosen her up. The potential was very taken with the blonde. Buffy knew where things were heading.

But it was a very safe assumption to say that she _never_ expected this kind of forwardness from the girl.

Irpa could see the conflict on Buffy’s face. She knew that she was taking a huge risk by doing what she was. She had developed rather strong feelings for the slayer over the past few months. To her, Buffy was the catch of a lifetime. Upon first meeting her, she was infatuated with her. She could see the pain and the sorrow in the slayer’s eyes. She could tell that Buffy, more than anything wanted someone that would not only understand her but be able to support her. She needed someone that wouldn’t feel threatened by what she was, what she was capable of, and what she might be called to do. The person that Buffy gave her heart to had to be the kind that would be with her, knowing that when she walked out the door, she might never come back. Buffy had that once. But for a curse a century and more ago, it was a doomed love.

Irpa, however, was determined to change that. She did her level best to show Buffy that _she_ could be all the things the slayer needed. She was reminded of a classic Van Halen song; _You want a lover, you want a friend. Well mama, I can be both of them._

“Why are you here?” Buffy asked past a suddenly dry throat.

Irpa knew she had to play it just right, or this would all come crashing down. “Jerri is staying the night at the dorm with Willow,” she said, moving slowly toward Buffy. “I saw this as a chance for the two of us to be alone.”

Against her better judgment, Buffy’s eyes trailed down the girl’s form. _Everything_ was on display. Irpa had never been what one would call modest. But she’d, at the very least, been clothed every time she and Buffy were in the same room together. “You’re only fourteen, Irpa,” Buffy said softly. _Though someone sure as hell forget to tell your body that_ , she said silently to herself. She was more curvaceous than Buffy herself was. She was also about three inches taller.

“I know,” Irpa said, stopping a couple of feet from the slayer. “I’m young. I get that, I do. But…” She fought to find the right words. “I care a great deal for you, Buffy. I’ve watched you these past few months. I’ve watched how hurt you are. I watch you looking at people on the streets holding hands, kissing and laughing in The Bronze,” She shook her head. “It hurts me to see you longing for what you believe you can never have.” She took a chance and stepped forward, resting her hand on Buffy’s chest. “You long to give your heart to someone that isn’t afraid of you, _for_ you.” She gave her a smile. “I want you to know that, that I can be that for you. I can be what you want, what you need,” She then reached up with her other hand, gently caressing the blonde’s cheek. “What you _miss_. If you’ll let me.”

Buffy stared into Irpa’s eyes for a heartbeat, then took her hands, holding them firmly. “All of what you say is true. I know that you…” She sighed heavily. “I know that you feel a lot for me, Irpa. But we, we _can’t_. It’s _illegal_.”

“I’m old enough to love, Buffy. I’m old enough to love _you_ ,” she said. “I’m old enough to show you.”

“Yes, you are old enough to love, Irpa. I’m not doubting that. But you _aren’t_ old enough to sleep with me.”

Irpa had actually expected this response. Being a teenager as she was, there were many things that would be taboo. Pursuing a sexual relationship was, indeed one of them. But given that she’d actually gone out hunting and killing vampires, she had the perfect counter. “So I’m old enough to choose to _risk_ my life but I’m _not_ old enough to choose to enjoy it?”

Buffy knew the argument well. It was one that she made to her mother. It was also an argument, a year and a half ago, that she’d had with Faith. “Being a slayer, being a _hunter_ doesn’t change the _law_ , Irpa. Good or bad, right or wrong, we’re still held to the standards that everyone else is.” She took a step back, letting go of the potential’s hands. “I’m sorry but I just can’t. Believe me, it isn’t that I don’t want to and it isn’t that I wouldn’t.”

Irpa had thought her argument bulletproof. But Buffy, in the end, was right. No matter how much it hurt, no matter how unfair it seemed…she had one last card to play. “You were only seventeen when-,”

Buffy cut her off. “When Angel and I slept together the first time, I know,” she said without missing a beat. “And it turned out to be the biggest mistake of my life.”

“You didn’t know he was going to lose his soul, Buffy. No one did.”

“No, I didn’t. You’re absolutely right. But it _was_ a good allegory for the mistakes made in the moment.” Buffy rubbed her hands in her eyes. “You can stay the night.” She moved to her dresser and pulled out a pair of plain pink pajamas. “But you wear these,” she said, tossing them to the potential. “Because I’ve only got so much willpower and it has been a while.”

Irpa sighed heavily and nodded. She stiffly put them on.

Buffy stepped over to her and took her hands once again. “I don’t want you taking any of this the wrong way, Irpa. If it makes you feel any better?” She gave the girl a bright smile. “You _are_ what I want and need right now. More than just about anyone.” She pulled her in and kissed her softly on the lips. “Don’t ever think you aren’t.”

Irpa wanted nothing more than to crush the slayer to her and kiss her passionately but she didn’t. She wanted Buffy to choose her, not be claimed like a prize. And if her words were anything to go by, Buffy _had_ chosen her. It was just a matter of time before the two could prove it.

 

Cerridwen sat in her computer chair with her feet on her desk. She had her hands behind her head, watching as her lover bent over the fender of the Crown Victoria. “You’re oglin’ my butt like a drunken frat boy, ain’t ya?” Quan asked the girl.

The teen grinned widely. “Yup,” she said, past the sucker in her mouth. “Your ass is a masterpiece.” Quan chuckled and gave her bottom a little shimmy. “Nice.” She flicked her eyes to the twins. One of the pair was stripping down an assault rifle of some sort while the other sat on a stool, looking over a technical manual. She wasn’t sure what it was and she really didn’t need to. The phone ringing stole her attention. She reached over and picked up her headset and put it on. She then tapped the phone. “Demon Queller, Cerridwen.”

“Hey, Cerri. It’s Rite.”

 “What’s up, pussycat?” Cerri asked her, sitting up in her chair. If Rite was contacting her, it meant she’d be busy in a few seconds.

“Buffy needs some help in Sunnydale.”

“And you’re calling us because…?”

“You’re closer,” Rite said. “And I figure it would give Neo something to do. Buffy needs a swordsman. Neo’s the top blade fighter on the site.”

 Cerri couldn’t fault the deduction. Though she _chose_ to go fisticuffs, she could swing a sword with a skill that would make Miyamoto Musashi stand up and take notice. Many were the wannabe sword-swingers that have come through Portland only to have Neo take their heads before they knew what they were up against. “What kind of shit are we dealing with?”

“Miquot demons,” Rite said. “Seems like something that would get Neo’s juices flowing.”

“Nah. Talia and Rain are already taking care of that,” Cerri said, snickering.

“Please note my complete and total lack of surprise,” Rite said. “I told Buffy I’d send the right person for the job.”

“You _do_ know that Neo and Buffy hate each other with a fiery, _fiery_ passion, right?” Cerri asked her.

“I did not know that, in fact. Don’t change the reality that Buffy needs help and Neo’s the best person for the job at the moment. It isn’t casting. When you all signed up, you put yourself in this box. Time to ante up.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” Cerri said with a huff. “You’re not the one that has to break it to her.”

 Rite grinned. “That, my dear girl, is _your_ job.”

“Fuck you,” Cerri said to the girl. “I’ll get her on the road as soon as she’s done.”

“I’ll let Buffy know that help is on the way.”

Neo lay on her back, soaked with sweat as Talia and Rain both lay across her, enjoying the post-sex closeness. She absently curled her fingers in their hair. “God I love the two of you,” she said, kissing each of them on the head.

They both looked up at her and smiled. The phone on her nightstand suddenly rang. Talia reached over and lifted the receiver. “Hello?” She then handed the phone to Neo. “It’s Cerridwen.”

Neo took it. “What’s up, Cerri?” She smiled. “Nah. We were cuddling.” She furrowed her brow. “I do too cuddle.” She sneered. “Fuck you, brat.” She hung up the phone and tossed it back on the table. Talia hung it up properly. “Apparently Rite called and said she’s got a job for me.”

“Just you?” Rain asked. “That’s rare, isn’t it?”

“Fairly, yeah,” Neo said. “We gotta get up, get showered and head downstairs.”

Nearly an hour later, the three of them were standing behind the girl as she worked at her computer. “Buffy is dealing with a bunch of these guys.” She brought up the profile of the demon in question.

“Ugh,” Neo grunted. “I fuckin’ hate these guys.”

“What are they?” Rain asked, looking at the image as it turned about.

“Low-level hunter types,” Neo said. “They’re decent knife-fighters. Use bone knives that they can pull out of their asses or some shit.”

Talia sighed, swatting Neo on the back of the head lightly. “They don’t pull them from their asses, Neo. They form them from calcium secretions in their forearms. Razor sharp and plentiful. They’re virtually never unarmed.”

“That’s handy,” Rain said. “So are they hardcore?”

“Fuck no,” Neo said. “We had a few come through town before. They’re nothing special. Slightly above average strength and speed but dumber than a sack of wet hammers. Don’t really see why someone like Buffy would have trouble with these guys.”

“She isn’t the swordfighter you are,” Cerri said. “That’s why she needs help.”

Neo sighed and shook her head. “Pussy.” She turned and looked to Rain and Talia. “You two wanna come with?”

“I’ve had enough of California,” Rain said, kissing Neo firmly.

Talia gave her lover a smile. “You need this. It’s been almost two weeks since we last had anything for you to take your frustrations out on. So go, deal with this and come back to us so we can again lavish you with attention.”

“What’s to say I won’t get out of control?” Neo said, somewhat worried.

“Neo?” Cerri asked, smiling. As the potential looked at her, the girl lifted the stun gun they kept on hand. “This thing hasn’t been charged since before we left for our tour.”

She looked around at the girls. They were all giving her disarming smiles. Even the twins. “Face it,” Rain said as she rested a hand on Neo’s shoulder. “You’ve mellowed.”

Neo suddenly understood. She then gazed at Rain and Talia. “No,” she said, taking their hands. “I fell in love.”

“Won’t stop you from wreckin’ everybody’s shit in Sunnydale, though will it?” Quan asked as she slammed the hood of the Crown Vic.

“Fuck no,” Neo said, grinning. She kissed her lovers. “I’ll be back in a couple of days.”

It was a simple matter to get everything packed up. Talia and Rain were both shocked when Neo came down the stairs, carrying a silk wrapped bundle in her hand. Neither girl recognized it. “What is that?” Talia asked. “I’ve never seen it before.”

“I haven’t used it in a long time,” Neo said.

“I thought you got rid of that thing.” Quan shot out. “Didn’t know you still had it.”

“What is it?” Rain asked, curiously repeating Talia’s question.

Neo released the silk cord and removed the wrap to reveal a beautifully crafted English rapier. The blade was a gossamer silver that veritably gleamed in the light. The cross-guard, hand-guard, and pommel were all sparkling gold. The handle was wrapped in soft leather.

Talia and Rain were both beside themselves. It was the most beautiful weapon they’d ever seen. “Do, do you know how to use it?” The Watcher asked.

Neo quickly demonstrated a few exceptionally advanced fencing moves. “Yeah. I know how to use it.”

“It’s amazing,” Rain said, shaking her head. “I had no idea you were so good with a sword. Normally you just punch things until they go away.”

“Well, yeah. That’s more fun,” Neo said, putting the weapon away. “But this time, I’m going head to head with another swordsman. I gotta have the right gear.” She grinned. “And I get to show off to Buffy. That’s gonna be the _really_ fun part.”


	59. Chapter 59

Irpa stood at the stove, casually pushing the bacon about in the frying pan. She knelt to look in the oven. Satisfied that the biscuits were coming along, she returned her attention to the bacon. She pulled it from the pan, set it on the paper-towel-lined plate and immediately put more in.

A sharp knock on the front door stole her attention. She turned the pan down, checked the oven one more time, then moved out into the living room to answer the door. She pulled it open, raising an eyebrow at what she saw. The girl was tall, nearly six feet in her combat boots. Her black tank top was stretched across her ample chest, leaving her rather thick knotted arms bare. Her long brown hair hung in a careless wash about her shoulders and down her back. As Irpa stared at her, the girl pulled her sunglasses off and flipped them closed, hooking them on the neck of her tank top.

Irpa couldn’t help but feel the girl familiar somehow but she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she’d never met her before. “Can I help you?” She asked politely.

The girl furrowed her brow and stepped back, looking at the address of the house. “This is still the Summers’ residence, right?” She asked.

“Yes, it is. Who were you looking for?”

“Buffy Summers. She here?”

Irpa nodded but didn’t move to let the girl in. “Who are you?”

The girl gave her a very ‘Devil may care’ smirk. “Paranoid little spit-fuck ain’t ya?” She offered her hand. “Alice Frog. Friends, enemies, and people who just can’t fuckin’ stand me call me Neo.”

Irpa’s eyes grew wide as she took the girl’s hand. “I’ve heard of you.”

“Get that a lot,” Neo said, chuckling.

“I’m Irpa Beck. I’m a potential just like you,” she said with a smile.

Neo belted out a laugh. “A potential I’ll give you. But girl, you got a long damn way to go before you are anything like me.”

Irpa wasn’t entirely sure if she should be offended by the statement or not.

Neo saw the look on Irpa’s face and sighed. “Look, kid. I didn’t mean to piss you off.” She pushed past the girl and stepped into the house. “Ask anyone about me and they’ll all say the same thing.”

“You’re a complete and total bitch?” Buffy commented as she came down the stairs.

Neo turned to look up at her. “Yeah, pretty much.”

“What the hell are you doing here?” The blonde made it down to stand in front of her. “Rite said she was sending help.”

Neo bowed and spread her arms. “I’m the cavalry.”

“Bullshit,” Buffy said.

“Yeah, I missed you, too,” Neo said to her. “You need someone that can meet the Miquot demons on their own terms. That someone is me. I’m the best swordsman the site has.” She tapped Buffy on the nose. “That includes you, sweet thang.”

“That’s complete crap,” Buffy said, shaking her head.

“Proof is in the pudding, blondie,” Neo said, patting Buffy’s head. “You’ll see when the shit hits the fan.” She sniffed the air. “Do I smell bacon?” She asked, moving into the kitchen.

Irpa looked at Buffy, who growled low under her breath and followed the muscular girl. She stepped past both of them and back over to the frying pan. She could tell that Buffy was upset at having Neo present. She decided to stay quiet and keep cooking.

Neo, for her part, leaned against the island with her large arms crossed and was content to watch Irpa cook.

“Seriously.” Buffy piped in as she pulled the pitcher of orange juice from the fridge.

“You do know that shit is just as bad as suckin’ down a can of Coke, right?” Neo asked her.

Buffy sighed and set the carafe down. She turned to stare at Neo. “Is there _anything_ you know how to do besides pissing people off?”

Neo grinned widely. “Oh yeah. I could show you but your girlfriend here looks like the jealous type.” Irpa’s face blushed just as red as her hair. She did, however, remain quiet. Neo reached over and patted her shoulder. “I’m just pitching Buffy shit, kid. I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

“That’s alright,” Irpa said, softly.

Buffy wanted nothing more than to slap the smirk off of Neo’s face. But part of her honestly believed the anger-inducing potential would somehow view it as foreplay. “I really hate you.”

“Yeah, I know,” Neo said, chuckling. “You’re just so easy.”

Buffy poured a glass of juice and slugged it down. “How did you get here so fast? I called Rite at a little after nine last night. It’s like, a fifteen-hour drive from Portland.”

“Not at a buck ten, it isn’t. I left the warehouse at five past eleven,” Neo said, looking at the clock. It was currently fifteen past eight.

“You drove straight through the night?” Irpa asked her. “Aren’t you tired?”

“As shit,” Neo said, nodding. “But figured I’d touch base with pocket slayer here and let her know that her backup arrived.”

Buffy decided to let the remark go. “All bullshit aside, are you really that good with a sword? I mean, seriously?”

“You got a couple of swords around here anywhere? I can show you.” Neo asked.

Buffy nodded. “Gimme a second. I gotta shower and change anyway.”

“Breakfast should be done by the time you get done.” Irpa offered.

Buffy gave her a smile. “Thanks.”

Neo saw the exchange and chuckled. “Need someone to come wash your back?” She asked, bobbing her eyebrows.

Irpa tensed visibly as Buffy offered a sharp “Tch.” And turned away from the pair, heading back upstairs.

Neo watched her go, then turned her eyes back to Irpa. The girl was as rigid as a plank of wood. “Well, that’s a yes.”

“What are you talking about?” The potential asked her. She was deliberately not looking at the older girl.

“You got the hots for slayer girl Barbie there something fierce.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Irpa said.

“Please. I start flirting and you went tighter than a snare drum.” Neo moved closer. “Does she know?”

Irpa looked her in the eye. “It’s none of your business.”

“Probably not,” Neo said, nodding. “So does she know?”

It suddenly became obvious to the girl why everyone thought Neo was such a bitch. “She knows.”

Neo looked the girl up and down. “You live here?” She asked.

“No. I live with Giles, my Watcher.”

“So you stayed the night?” As the potential nodded, Neo grinned. “Right on. Buffy any good in bed?”

“I wouldn’t know,” Irpa said, somewhat sadly.

Neo raised an eyebrow. “Let me guess. You put the moves on her and she shot you down?” Again, Irpa nodded. “What the fuck?” Neo looked the girl over again. Even in the baggy pajamas, she could tell she had a nice figure. “Is she fuckin’ retarded or something?” She was rather shocked when the fiery little redhead spun, lashing out with a hard right hook. The blow smacked into Neo’s palm. She gave the girl and approving nod. “Credit, kid. You got a pretty good punch. But you telegraph like mad.” She then began squeezing the girl’s fist in her hand.

Irpa grimaced and tried pulling her hand away but she couldn’t. Neo’s grip was like a vise.

“But a word to the wise. Don’t ever try and hit me. I’ve beat wholesale ass for a lot less.” She let the girl go.

Irpa stepped back, clutching her hand. Neo reached over, turning the pan off and pulling it from the burner. “Burning bacon should be a felony.”

“You’re not a slayer, are you?” Irpa asked her.

“Nope. One percent human,” Neo said. She snatched a pot holder from the hook on the wall and pulled the oven open, retrieving the biscuits. “I’m a fitness junky. Pretty much the only things I do is fight, fuck, and work out.” She set the pan on the counter. “Nice.”

Irpa flexed her hand, earning a sharp crack for her efforts. “So what’s the real reason that Buffy doesn’t like you?”

“Pretty much what it says on the tin,” Neo said as she cut open a biscuit and slid a few pieces of bacon inside. “I’m a complete and total bitch. I’m arrogant as fuck, I don’t take shit from anyone, and I don’t really have any respect for anyone that isn’t a close friend.”

“You don’t have any respect for Buffy?” Irpa asked her.

“Actually, I have a lot of respect for her. She’s pretty much keeping this entire city down by herself. Yeah, she’s a slayer and it should be second nature but by and large, she’s on her own and she’s on an active Hellmouth. That’s not nothin’.” Neo took a bite of her biscuit. “She’s good at what she does. I just think she needs to dirty up a little bit. Stop trying to be something she’s not.”

Irpa frowned. “What is she trying to be?”

“Normal,” Neo said. “She still keeps trying to live a normal life. It’s never gonna happen. She needs to embrace the inner scary.” She finished her sandwich. “But she won’t. She doesn’t know how and she ain’t interested in learning.” The potential shrugged. “Is what it is. Good biscuits, by the way.”

“Thank you,” Irpa said, dishing up a plate for herself and Buffy.

“So why did Buffy shoot you down last night?” Neo asked her as she opened the fridge. “Fuckin’ Christ. Do these bitches drink anything but diet?” She grabbed a diet coke and turned to look at the girl.

Irpa sighed heavily. “My age.”

“What are you, sixteen? Seventeen?”

“I’ll be fifteen in six months,” said Irpa, softly.

Neo was dumbfounded by that. “Seriously?” She again looked her up and down. “Someone seriously forget to tell the rest of you that.” She shook her head and took a slug off of her soda. “Sure as fuck wouldn’t have stopped me. I’d have wrecked that ass you threw it at me.”

“Well, unlike you, I have morals,” Buffy said as she entered the kitchen. She carried two large wooden practice swords in her hands. She tossed one of them to Neo as she made her way to the back door. “Impress me.”

“Your breakfast is getting cold,” Irpa said to the blonde slayer.

Neo pat her on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. This isn’t gonna take long.” She set her can down and followed Buffy into the backyard. As she moved, she swung the sword, getting used to the weight. “Good balance for a practice rig,” she said, nodding.

“Giles got ‘em for me. Cost a pretty penny, from what he says.”

Neo watched as Buffy got into a ready stance. She sighed, shook her head and just rested the sword on her shoulder with her hand on her hip. “Jesus,” she said under her breath. “Say when.”

Buffy rushed her quickly, the sword coming in for a quick strike at Neo’s neck. The potential immediately dropped to her knees and touched the tip of the blade to Buffy’s abdomen, just below her rib cage. “And you’re dead.” Buffy sneered and swung her sword, knocking Neo’s aside. The potential pivoted on her knee, spinning around the blonde as she moved past. The wood cracked against the back of Buffy’s knee. “I just hamstrung you. Now you can’t walk.” She shot to her feet and smacked the blonde across the small of the back, staggering her forward. “And now I just paralyzed you from the waist down.”

Irpa watched the display and was dumbfounded. Buffy was a slayer. She’d seen the blonde manhandle three hundred pound vampires like they were ragdolls. Yet Neo was making her look like a fool.

Buffy stared at Neo narrow-eyed. “I know for a fact that I’m stronger and faster than you. How can you keep from getting hit?”

“Simple,” Neo said, tossing the practice sword to her. “I didn’t learn to sword fight from watching Highlander reruns.”

“I hated that show,” Buffy said, following the girl into the house.

“Reggie taught me how to fence. He was an eleven time European Champion when he was younger. He also had me learn Kendo and some Wushu.” Neo shrugged as she took her can of soda. “I just took to swords really well. I’m also really good with knives.”

Buffy sat down and began eating her breakfast. “Well, thanks for coming.”

“No problem,” she said, nodding. She took another biscuit and made a breakfast sandwich out of it. “You got some skills, kid,” she said to Irpa.

“Thank you.”

Buffy likewise complimented the meal. Irpa finished eating and retreated upstairs to take a shower. “Kid says she put the moves on you last night and you didn’t bite,” Neo said to Buffy.

“She’s fourteen,” Buffy said, staring at Neo. “I’m not committing a felony.”

“Chances are you’re gonna be dead before she’s legal.”

“Jesus Christ, Neo.” Buffy snapped angrily.

“I’m just sayin’. You might wanna get a piece of that ass while you can.” She finished her soda and pushed away from the counter.

“You really have like, _no_ respect for the law, do you?” Buffy asked her.

“It’s like this,” Neo said, resting her hands on the island across from Buffy. “You and me? We’re in the same boat. Me maybe a little more so but still. We’re living on borrowed time. Admit it or not, it’s the truth. I don’t know about you but I live everyday like it’s my last because you know what? It might be. The way I figure it, I can do whatever the fuck I want because I ain’t hurtin’ nobody. If I wanna drag a fourteen year old girl that _definitely_ doesn’t look it into bed and fuck her until she can’t see straight, that’s what I’m gonna do. Because I don’t have the luxury of longevity. My number is out there somewhere and chances are some big motherfucker I ain’t met yet has it and it’s only a matter of time before we meet and go head up.” She stood up straight. “Same thing with you. But because I’ve made peace with what I am and what I do, I can live like that. You’re still stuck on being the fifties housewife with the white picket fence and two point three kids. And because you’re still focused on that?” She pointed upward. “You’re letting a shit load of good things pass you by.”

“So I should be a child molester?” Buffy asked.

Neo chuckled. “Paint it however you want if it makes you feel better.” She pulled her sunglasses from her shirt and put them on. “Your life. I ain’t got no right to tell you how to live it.”

“That’s right you don’t,” Buffy said. “So stop.”

“Yes, sir, Colonel sir,” Neo said to the girl. “I’m gonna find a place to get a few hours of sleep. I’ll meet up with you at Giles’ crib at…” She looked at her watch. “Say eight o’clock?”

Buffy stared at her a moment. “Fine.”

Neo sighed and shook her head. “Swear to God, you’re gonna get an ulcer.” She left the kitchen and made her way to the front door.

“Neo, wait,” Buffy called, coming out behind her. The potential stopped and turned to regard her. “Why did you make the trip? Honestly?”

Neo slowly took her sunglasses off and stepped up to gaze down at Buffy. “Because you needed help. And helping people is what we do.”

“I just…I thought you would have told me to fuck off and that I was on my own,” Buffy said to her.

“Never,” Neo said, her tone soft and caring. “I’m a bitch, Buffy. But I’m not a _fucking_ bitch.” She put her sunglasses back on and turned to the door. She gripped the knob and stopped. She turned back to her blonde counterpart. “And for the record? I’m not telling you how to _live_ your life. I’m trying to tell you how to _enjoy_ it.” With that, she left, leaving Buffy to stand there, staring after her.

She was still standing by the door when Irpa came down the stairs. “Where’d she go?”

“Huh?” Buffy asked, not having heard the girl.

“Neo. Where’d she go?”

“To get some sleep,” Buffy said, turning to face the redhead. She bit her lip as she stared into the girl’s eyes.

“What?” Irpa asked, curiously. “Is something wrong?” Buffy closed the distance between them and leaned in, pecking the girl on the lips. Irpa was shocked but didn’t pull away. “Are you okay?”

Buffy didn’t answer. She pulled Irpa in and kissed her more passionately. Her arms snaked around the girl’s waist, holding her close. Irpa’s fingers threaded into the slayer’s long blonde hair. For several moments the pair held their embrace. Their tongues entwined in perfect synchronicity. For the first time in she couldn’t remember how long butterflies threatened to core Buffy like an apple. Her knees began to get weak. _This is what I’ve been missing_ , she said to herself.

Finally, the pair pulled away, breathing heavily. “Wow,” Irpa said, her voice shaky.

“Wow is right. You sure you’re only fourteen?”

“Fourteen and a _half,_ ” Irpa corrected. “I’m sorry that bothers you so much.”

“It is going to take _a lot_ of getting used to,” Buffy said, honestly. “I’m not gonna lie. I don’t know at what point I’m gonna have to call it on account of rain but…I’m willing to try if you are.”

“Nothing more than you’re comfortable with,” Irpa said. “Never more than that.”

“That helps,” Buffy said, smiling. “That helps a lot.”

“Giles is expecting me home,” Irpa said, holding Buffy’s hands. “Can,” She swallowed. “Can I come back tonight?”

“Neo and I are going hunting for the Miquot demons tonight. I don’t know when I’ll be back.”

“Then I should be here to help. In case you and she get hurt. I’m good with first aid, you know that,” Irpa said to her. “And you’re going to be hungry.”

Buffy sighed and nodded. “Okay.” She kissed the girl lightly again. “I’ll see you tonight.”

Irpa smiled brightly and left with a spring in her step. Buffy watched her as she walked away and closed the door, leaning back against it. “What in the hell is wrong with me?” she asked the silence of the room.


	60. Chapter 60

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This Chapter takes place during the events of Chapter 59

 

Sadiira sat behind the wheel of the lifted Ford Raptor, waiting on the stoplight. She flicked her eyes to her sister as she fiddled with the police scanner mounted on the dashboard. “Why are you screwing around with that thing?”

Nadiira lifted her eyes to her twin. “I’m bored.” She then went back to what she was doing. After a moment, she found the frequency for the Portland Police Bureau and sat back in the seat, nodding. Both girls listened with half an ear as they drove through downtown Portland. It was a warm June day and they were just enjoying being outside. It wasn’t hot enough for the air conditioning, thus they had the windows down, letting the breeze of the outside air cool them.

The traffic, however, was beyond belief. “This is the only thing I truly despise about this city.” Sadiira offered with a groan.

Nadiira nodded but said nothing. She suddenly flicked her eyes to the scanner. She reached over and turned it up, listening to an officer’s frantic voice. “…late 80’s Chevrolet Camaro Iroc Z28, that is India-Romeo-Oscar-Charlie-Zulu-two-eight. Traveling westbound on Burnside, passing Southeast one hundred thirteenth avenue. Speeds in excess of fifty miles an hour. Request backup.”

Sadiira immediately got on the phone, dialing Quan’s cell. She pulled off to the side of Sandy Boulevard and into the parking lot of a Plaid Pantry. She stopped the car and waited for a response.

“What’s up?” the big girl answered.

“You’re the automotive expert. I need an expert’s advice. What are the capabilities of a late 80’s Camaro Iroc Z28?”

“Not too bad. Buck fifty, buck fifty-five top speed. Snap a speedo in about six and a half seconds. Why?”

“Do you think the Police Interceptors of the Portland PB have a chance of catching it?” Sadiira asked as she pulled to the side of the road.

“Depends. The PB has some pretty good drivers. Performance to performance, they’re outmatched but not by much.”

“Be advised, dispatch. There is an underage hostage in the vehicle. Female youth, ten to twelve years of age. Condition unknown.” The scanner blurted.

“Thank you, Quan,” Sadiira said, ending the call. She flicked the blinker and turned about, heading back toward Gresham. The time for talk had ended. They needed to act. The police procedures were relatively sketchy as to what could be done. From what the scanner had said, little was known about the situation as a whole. The officers only had a finite list of what they could and couldn’t do. The twins didn’t. Given their histories and what the pair had gone through before coming to Portland, they sympathized and empathized with the girl in the car. She was alone, possibly injured and most assuredly scared out of her mind.

And the Rajni sisters were having none of it. Behind the roar of Ford Motorsport’s finest, screeching tires and a haze of smoke, the rig was off like a shot.

“Take the next right,” Nadiira said as her sister fed more power to the wheels.

Sadiira didn’t question her slightly elder sibling in the least. Nadiira knew literally every street, every alley and every service path in the entirety of the city. Thus she followed the girl’s instructions without hesitation. She flicked the blinker, wrenching the wheels sideways, bouncing onto Northeast Imperial Avenue. She shifted gears and ratcheted the speed up to better than seventy miles an hour.

“Left at the T-section,” Nadiira instructed.

Sadiira nodded as she approached the end of the road. She again hit her indicator, drifting about the corner. The huge truck hunkered down on its soft off-road suspension, flying onto Northeast Royal Court.

“Right at the light.” The truck again slid around the corner onto Northeast Caesar Chavez Boulevard. “This goes straight through to Burnside.”

“Got it,” Sadiira said, nodding. She would be the first to admit that she wasn’t exactly the driver that Quan was but that didn’t mean she couldn’t drive well. One thing Quantou made sure of was that all of the girls could handle themselves behind the wheel. She flicked her eyes to her sister and saw her pull the Glock 19 pistol from the holster beneath her jacket and ejected the current magazine. She reached into her pocket and pulled a fresh clip and inserted it into the butt of the pistol. She checked the action, nodded and held the gun in her lap. Sadiira couldn’t help but smile. She knew what her sister was planning. Of the pair of them, despite being identical in every noticeable aspect, Nadiira was both a bit more physical and – at least as far as handguns were concerned – a better shot. She’d seen the girl dead bull a vampire at a sprint hanging out the passenger window of the van doing better than sixty miles an hour without breaking a sweat.

Seconds later, Sadiira hit the indicator and fishtailed the large truck out onto Burnside, heading east. “Where is he?” she asked her sister.

“Just passing Northeast sixtieth,” Nadiira offered.

Sadiira could see the Police Cruisers had blocked off a lot of the intersections, doing their best to keep people from getting into the line of fire. She was perfectly fine with that. A lot of the officers truthfully didn’t know what to make of the huge truck. The government plates kept them from getting pulled over a lot of the time but this wasn’t exactly what they were intended for. At the moment, though, the twins didn’t care. The cars on the road were pulled to the side, leaving a wide lane in the center of the four-lane thoroughfare.

Sadiira, with a bit of a growl, shifted gears, pushing the speed of the truck up to ninety. She could see the gloss red Camaro racing toward them. A trio of police cruisers sped along behind it.

Nadiira removed her seatbelt and slid out of the truck, sitting on the sill of the open window. “Keep it steady,” she said, her voice calm and collected. She trusted the fact that the hostage, being a terrified little girl, would be hunkered down in the either the passenger or backseat, covering her head and crying. Thus, she would more likely as not be out of the line of fire. With this in mind, she took careful aim and squeezed off a pair of shots. The Black Talon Glazer ammunition had a great deal of stopping power but very little penetration. Going through the front windshield and lodging itself into the upper portion of the rear seats would keep it from flying through to the police cruisers behind the Chevrolet.

Each shot was perfectly placed, mere centimeters to the right and left of the driver’s head. It was a warning. _Stop or die_ , the rounds said, in no uncertain terms. The fact that he was racing headlong toward a truck weighing north of three tons that showed no sign of stopping hopefully was an additional deterrent.

Overhead a pair of news choppers captured everything in hi-def.

But the girls didn’t concern themselves with that. Less than two blocks separated the vehicles. Nadiira adjusted her aim a touch and fired two more times. She saw blood spatter onto the windscreen. She knew she’d only winged the driver but it was enough. The Camaro immediately slowed.

The three police cruisers slid to a stop. The officers were out in a rush. Two officers covered the Camaro, while a third, his weapon drawn, approached the truck as it came to a stop.

Knowing the drill, Nadiira clicked the safety on her gun and tossed it on the dash, keeping her hands in the air. Sadiira left her hands on the steering wheel, where they were easily visible.

They were, however, very pleased when the man covering them came around, looked in the window at the pair of them, and lowered his gun. He slid it back in his holster. “Should have known fancy shootin’ like that would be from the pair of you.” He offered with a smile.

Neither girl recognized him but he seemed to know them. “Thank you for the compliment officer,” Sadiira said, smiling. While her sister may have been the better shooter, Sadiira was definitely the better talker.

“Gotta say, it was pretty risky what you did back there. You coulda hit that girl,” he said, his expression waning a bit.

Nadiira shook her head. “As young as she is, she would have been terrified. When a girl is terrified, what’s the first thing she tries to do?” She paused a moment. “Hide. She tries to make herself as small and unassuming as possible. That means ducking onto the floor of the backseat or passenger seat. I was banking on that.”

“But you couldn’t be certain,” the man said to her.

“True. We couldn’t be. But given the situation, it was the least of the risks available. A spike strip would have shredded the tires and caused the car to veer wildly into who knows what. Who knows what the collateral damage would be? This way, the driver understood he had no choices left.” Sadiira added to her sister’s explanation.

“Well, all’s well that ends well,” the officer said. “Need you girls to come down the station to fill out a report. Just so you know, if this guy has family, it could open you up for a hell of a lawsuit.”

Both girls shrugged. Neither of them really gave a damn.

They followed the patrol cars to the station. They surrendered their weapons and filled out all of the necessary paperwork. They were both a bit irritated but not necessarily surprised when they were taken into separate interview rooms. Neither was cuffed but they were each given a uniformed officer to stand just outside the room ‘in case they needed anything’ was the reason they were given.

Nadiira sat quietly with her arms crossed, staring at her reflection in the two-way mirror. Once, she flicked her eyes to the camera in the corner of the room but otherwise remained stone still. Not more than ten minutes later, a fairly tall slender man with tanned skin and a head of short brown hair – obviously a police detective from his attire – entered the room carrying a tall Styrofoam cup and a file folder. These he set on the table and then took the seat across from her. He made no effort to introduce himself. And she didn’t ask.

She closed her eyes and began mentally counting backward from ten. She got to four before he spoke. “So it says here you’re from Iraq.” She opened her eyes and peered into his. “Is that true?” She could hear the slight tinge of distaste in his tone. For several seconds, she was content to simply stare at him. “Well?” Again, she said nothing. “I see,” he said, returning his attention to the paperwork. “You were in possession of a nine-millimeter pistol,”

She interrupted him. “Glock model 19 with an extended magazine with Black Talon Glazer rounds and two extra reloads.”

“She speaks,” he said to her, noting that she had no accent whatsoever.

“Fluently,” Nadiira said. “Five languages.”

“And the reason you didn’t answer my first question?”

Nadiira narrowed her eyes at him. “Because it was pointless.”

“I’d still like an answer,” he said to her.

“Your problem. Not mine,” she returned.

“How is it that you’re only nineteen years of age, yet you have a concealed carry permit? Especially given your  _ethnic background_?” He asked her. “This isn’t a pointless question.”

“The government says I can have one,” she responded.

When she didn’t elaborate, he sighed and buried his face in his hands. “Okay, look,” he said, before again looking at her. “You blew holes through a speeding car’s windshield. You deliberately endangered-,”

She cut him off. “Stop lying. You’re not good at it,” Nadiira said. “At no time was that girl’s life in any greater danger than she was already in. My presence and my actions did not, at any point, increase her chances for harm.”

“What if you’d put a bullet through his head? He could have-,”

Again, she interrupted him. “That wouldn’t have been possible.”

“Oh really?” He asked her. “How can you possibly know that?”

“Because I wasn’t aiming for his head,” she said, simply. Again, she didn’t elaborate.

“You’re saying you never miss?” he asked her.

“That is exactly what I’m saying.” The girl offered. Her tone wasn’t smug or prideful. It was as neutral as was possible to be. And that, more than anything is what unnerved the detective.

“I find that hard to believe, Miss Rajni.”

“I find that I don’t really give a damn what you believe, detective,” she said back to him.

“You’ll find trying to be a hardass with me won’t get you anywhere.” He shot back at her. “You’re just a little girl that thinks-,”

“Stop,” Nadiira said, sharply. The force of her voice made him hold his tongue. The effectiveness the word carried, she might as well had shouted at him. “Don’t.” She shook her head. “What you have written in that file folder is sterile, detective. It’s hard data. Facts, figures, and notes on paper. It isn’t experience. It isn’t fear, pain, sorrow, and anger. It isn’t _life_. Because it is none of those things, you don’t and never will know anything about me. Therefore you have absolutely no right to tell me what I am or what I think. The hell I’ve lived through would leave a pathetic wannabe-Dirty-Harry _fuck_ like you pissing in his khaki’s and crying for his mother.”

He was rather angered by her assumption of him. “I’ve been through the shit, kid. I’ve been places-,”

“No you haven’t,” Nadiira said, her calm demeanor gone. “You were born in to privilege. You never served a day in uniform or worked a hard day in your life. Your idea of a forward theater is the Lloyd Center on Black Friday.”

“You don’t know-,”

“You don’t have the walk or the stare of military. Your hands are softer than a runway model’s. The keys in your pocket are to a BMW M5. That’s as near as makes no difference a hundred thousand dollar car. As a police detective, you’re lucky to pull in seventy grand a year before taxes. Even used, you’re looking at the better part of your yearly salary.” She shook her head. “No. You haven’t been through _anything_ detective.”

He slammed the folder closed and glared at her. “You got a lot of nerve, you know that?”

“So I’ve been told,” she said, crossing her arms and leaning back. “I’m done talking to you. Go away.”

Given that he had nothing more he wanted to ask, he rose from the table and left. If he didn’t he was afraid of what he might do.

Sadiira sat, much like her sister, with her arms crossed and her eyes forward. She wondered if Nadiira would even speak to anyone, let alone give them anything to go on. She wasn’t alone long before a rather attractive blonde woman in a skirt suit stepped into the room. She was short and a touch on the thick side but she carried it well. She had a pair of wire rim glasses on her cute pixie face and held a rather thick file folder in her hand. She stepped over to the table and set the folder down, before reaching her hand over. “Detective Emily Stark. It’s a pleasure to meet you, miss?”

“Rajni,” Sadiira offered, not seeing a reason to be rude. She took the woman’s hand and gave it a firm grip.

Emily sat down and flipped open the folder. “I’m assuming Nadiira is your sister?” she asked, looking at Sadiira. The girl gave a curt nod. “That was um, that was some pretty fancy shooting she did.”

“She’s the best shot with a handgun I’ve ever seen.”

“Can’t argue with that. I’m good but I can’t pull that off,” Emily said to her. “What prompted you to get involved with a police chase?”

“The little girl,” Sadiira said. “It was too much of a reminder of our own childhood.”

“I’ve read over your file.” The woman said, tapping the folder. “Pretty harrowing reading, to be honest. I’m betting this isn’t the half of it.”

“You’d be right.”

“So you heard about the chase on the scanner. Why not let the police handle it?”

“Because there is only so much they can do in that situation. Unless they wanna spend days going blind on paperwork because they fired at a moving car, their only real option was to outlast the suspect. Every officer worth their salt knows that the longer a chase goes on, the more dangerous it becomes. It has to be ended quickly and with as little collateral damage as humanly possible. That’s what we did. We took action independently that we knew the officers couldn’t and wouldn’t take.”

“Well, you saved that girl’s life. The perp was flying on meth. Who knows what he would have done to her,” Emily said. “So thanks for that. But I would be remiss if I didn’t bring up the fact that you _did_ put her life in danger.”

“Not really,” Sadiira said. “Her life was already in danger. Being in a speeding car with a meth addict that’s high as kite…your life really can’t be in any _more_ danger than that. That’s like saying jumping out of an airplane without a parachute was dangerous but what made it _really_ bad was the fact that one of the other passengers in the plane had a knife.” Sadiira shrugged. “Given that you’re gonna plow into the ground at terminal velocity, you’re really not gonna sweat the knife wound.”

“But what if he would have taken a hit and veered into a parked car?” Emily asked.

Sadiira respected the fact that the woman was merely playing Devil’s Advocate and not actually arguing with her. She was pretty certain Emily was just covering her bases and seeing how well if at all, the girls had thought through what they were doing. “That was a risk the second he climbed behind the wheel. My sister just painted in very clear detail that he was completely and utterly without options. If he didn’t stop _right now_ , he was going to die _right now_. When faced with that kind of incentive?” She let the question hang.

“He did suffer a grazing wound on the left side of his head. She blew his ear off.”

“That’s because she was aiming for his ear,” Sadiira said. “Nadiira always hits what she’s aiming at. She’s never missed in the entire time I’ve seen her shoot.”

“In what? Eight, almost nine years?” Emily asked. She received a nod from the girl. She was about to ask another question when the door of the interview room burst open. Sadiira recognized the man immediately. “District Attorney Hayden?” Emily asked, stunned. “What are you doing here?”

“What the hell are you doing, detective?” he asked sharply, ignoring her question.

“I was just asking Miss Rajni-,” she began.

He cut her off, addressing Sadiira. “I’m terribly sorry, Sadiira,” he said, offering his hand. “You and your sister are free to go. Thank you for what you did today. You probably saved that poor girl’s life.”

She stood and took his hand. “It’s alright, Jim. She was actually quite professional,” Sadiira said, nodding toward Emily. “And she was just doing her job.”

“No, she wasn’t. It states unequivocally in all of you girls’ files that you aren’t to be questioned by anyone except the police commissioner or myself.” He turned to Emily. “You should have noted that, Detective Stark.”

Emily had the good nature to look sheepish. “Why are they so important?” she managed to ask.

“Because these girls have _literally_ saved this city, detective. All of the citizens of Portland owe their lives to these girls. What they do, who they are is above your pay grade. From now on, if you bring them in, you are to leave them be and contact me, is that understood?”

“Yes, sir,” she said, nodding.

He turned back to Sadiira. “Again, you have my apologies. I had the motor pool fuel up your Ford. It’s waiting downstairs in the parking garage.”

“Thank you, sir,” Sadiira said. “You have a wonderful day.”

“You, too.” He watched her leave the room and looked back at Emily. “This is the only explanation you get, detective. Not everything that walks around at night is entirely human.” He could see her furrowing her brow in disbelief. He gave her a smile. “Yeah. The reason you can look at me like that? The reason you don’t believe is because you haven’t seen. And those two girls and their friends are why.” With that, he left the room, leaving her to sit there, blankly staring after him.


	61. Chapter 61

Giles started as he heard the sharp rap on his front door. Irpa rose from her spot on the sofa. “I’ll get it,” she said, making her way. She pulled it open to see Neo standing in all of her muscular glory. “What are you doing here?”

“Told Buffy I’d meet her here,” Neo said, again removing her sunglasses and tucking them into the front of her shirt. “Thought I’d drop by a little early and touch base with the bossman.” She stepped inside and looked around. “Yeah, ‘bout what I expected.”

Giles rose to his feet, furrowing his brow. “You look incredibly familiar. Have we met before?” He asked her.

“Boneyard,” Neo said, stepping over and offering her hand. “Normally, I tell everyone to call me Neo but I really fuckin’ love your accent. Call me Alice.”

Giles couldn’t help but smile. He’d heard a lot about her. From his read in the landscape, the teenage girl was one of, if not the most feared name among the underworld. As he looked her over, he found that he wasn’t necessarily surprised. She moved about the room with a predatory grace normally reserved for those that had seen nothing but the worst. “Alice. Pretty name for a pretty lady.” He lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. “It is a genuine pleasure to finally meet you.”

Neo grinned widely. “God _damn_ you’re smooth. I like you already. I’m gonna go grab my gear from the car. Be back in a few.”

Giles followed her to the door and raised an eyebrow as he saw her vehicle of choice. “Huh.”

“What?” Neo asked him. She turned to the front stoop of his flat. “What are you looking at?”

“Is that your car? The black Police car?”

“Yep. Picked it up at auction a few weeks ago. A few months ago, we had to help the Winchester brothers out in Scipio, Utah. Given how many times someone’s rig has gotten trashed in the line, we picked up a couple of lower-end models just like that. Played road warrior with a shit ton of Hellion bikers. That was fun as hell. The cars actually did pretty good. They were on their last legs when we got ‘em but they did alright. This one is a lot newer. That and Quan went over it with a fine-toothed comb.”

“I’m sorry, who?” Giles asked.

“Quantou,” Neo said. “She was the really big chick with all the tattoos.”

“I seem to remember her.” Giles offered. “Actually, now that I think about it, I remember all of you. You, Quantou, and a pair of young Middle Eastern ladies, if memory serves. You were quite an effective team.”

“You didn’t do too bad yourself,” Neo said to him. “Be right back.” She exited the apartment and headed toward her car. She pulled her keys from her pocket and unlocked the boot. She took her duffel and the silk wrapped sword from the trunk and went back into Giles’ flat.

“What is all of this?” Giles asked as Neo dropped the bag and bundle on his dining table.

Neo chuckled and motioned to the bag, indicating that he could snoop. “This is what a professional demon hunter’s kit looks like,” she said to him. “People who actually know what they’re doing don’t go out fighting monsters in a halter top, jeans, and pumps.”

Giles looked at Neo with a raised eyebrow. “Buffy does not patrol in pumps.”

“Oh, well excuse the hell out of me,” she said, moving into his kitchen and pulling open his fridge. She sighed heavily and pulled out the pitcher of ice tea. “For God’s sake, you have a teenage girl in the house. You can’t spring for a twelve pack of Coke?” She complained quietly.

Giles was busy looking through the duffel bag and didn’t hear her. Irpa stood beside him, likewise peeking through. He was rather stunned to see what looked like tactical body armor, an assault vest with a plethora of stakes about it. He pulled out one of the heavily reinforced gloves and gazed at it. The silver studs were etched with minute crosses. There were silver studded pads for knees and elbows in the mix as well. In the bottom of the bag was a collection of various weapons; a large knife, a pair of what appeared to be stone hatchets and even a small leather bound book. He lifted the book and flipped it open.

“What is that?” Irpa asked him.

Giles leafed through it and slowly lifted his eyes to Neo as she came out of the kitchen sipping her drink. “It’s Catholic Exorcism rites in the original Latin.”

Neo dropped into one of his chairs and leaned back, resting her feet on his table. “Demons seem to respond better – or worse, depending on how you look at it – when you throw that shit at them in Latin.”

“You’re an ordained Priest?” Giles asked, somewhat skeptically.

“No,” Neo said, shaking her head. “But you don’t have to be to perform an exorcism. You just have to be stronger of mind and faith than the demon you’re dealing with.” She held her hands out wide. “Mind and faith don’t come any stronger than me.”

“I don’t necessarily see you as the dedicated religious type,” Gile said, tucking the book back into her bag.

“Doesn’t matter what you have faith in as long as you have it,” Neo said. “I read _that_ because it pisses demons off. Ain’t a demon soul in the world likes that shit. Among the demonic, the Catholic rites are universally hated. As Tom Cruise said in _A Few Good Men_ ; You shake ‘em up, then lead them where they’re dying to go. Demons love a challenge. So you get ‘em pissed, then for all intents and purposes, challenge their supremacy.”

Giles looked at her. “What are you talking about?”

Neo rose to her feet. “It’s less about what you read and more about, well, what you read.” She rubbed her face in her hands. “That made like, no sense.” She lifted the book and showed it to him. “This shit pisses a demon off. I don’t mean it gives him regular fries when he ordered curly fries kind of pissed off. I mean, full on fire-eyed rage. It throws the demon inside someone into a frenzy. After that, it’s a straight-up battle of wills between the exorcist and the demon to force them out of someone. That’s why it isn’t really done anymore in the church. Because of a lot of the padres that used to work that shit have lost their mojo. They don’t buy what the church is selling like they used to. And because of that, not a lot of people have the willpower to go head to head with a demon. Demons that bother possessing people are master manipulators and can get inside people’s heads.” She put the book back. “You’ve seen the movie the Exorcist, I’m assuming?”

“That was a really good movie.” Irpa offered. Giles simply nodded.

“Yeah, it was. But in that movie, you see the demon possessing Regan playing all sorts of mind games. That’s pretty much true to life.” She sighed heavily. “But there are some demons that it just doesn’t work on. Only ran into one but it does happen.”

Giles knew exactly what Neo was speaking of. Years past, he’d had similar experiences. “Well, it’s good to see you so prepared.”

Irpa lifted the stone hand-ax. “What are these for?”

“Ghosts, wraiths, and poltergeists,” she said to the younger potential. “They’re made from the femur of a Yakama Shaman and salt stone. The heads are enchanted not to break. They can do actual damage to a spirit.”

“That’s fascinating. Where did you get them?” Giles asked her.

“From a Native American up in Yakima about a year and a half ago. Took out a nest of vamps that took up in an old quarry near Wapato. One of the tribal elders gave me these as a thank you.”

Giles and Irpa were both visibly impressed. “You take this very seriously, don’t you?” Giles asked her.

“Beats the hell out of the alternative,” Neo said to him. “You wanna see something really cool?” She asked him. As he raised an eyebrow, she unwrapped her sword. “Check that shit out.”

Giles lifted the sword, gazing at it longingly. “Oh my lord.”

Neo grinned at him. “You know what that is, don’t you?”

Giles slowly nodded his head. Irpa only saw a beautiful rapier with a golden handle and pommel. “It’s definitely pretty but what is it?”

Giles swallowed past a dry throat. “It’s an original of the Hounslow Heath. Is this Benjamin Stone’s proof?”

Neo crossed her arms and nodded. “Reggie got that for me.”

Giles looked at her. “Are you skilled with it?”

Neo grinned. “Just ask her.” She pointed to Irpa.

The girl gave him a nod. “She beat Buffy with the practice swords you bought her pretty handily. Neo here didn’t even break a sweat.”

“Of everyone on the site, I’ve got the best sword skills.” Neo offered. “That’s what Buffy needs help with.”

He gave the sword a couple of practice swings. “It’s incredibly well balanced.”

“Best of the best, baby,” Neo said to him. “You fence?” She asked him.

“I do, in fact,” he offered her blade back. “Care to demonstrate your skills?”

“Thought you’d never ask,” she said, setting the sword down. “But first thing’s first.” She stepped over to the large box filled with vinyl records. She knelt beside it. “Had to check this shit out.”

“Yes, I’ve um,” He moved up beside her, “I’ve heard you were a, uh, a music fan.”

“Yeah, I front a band in Portland. We normally do metal and harder covers but _oh my fucking God_.” She turned and looked up at him. “You have an orange version of _The Wall_?” Neo asked him. “There are only 800 of these worldwide.”

“I don’t even remember where I got that to be brutally honest,” Gile said, rubbing the back of his head.

“You got some kickass tunes here, bud.” She flipped through and pulled out an original AC/DC Back In Black Album. “My man,” she said, offering her fist. After a moment, he bumped it with his own. “Ain’t a solid old school rocker alive that doesn’t have this bad boy.” She rose to her feet and pointed to the record player. “You mind?” He shook his head, somewhat surprised. He watched as she showed absolute care pulling the record from the sleeve. She set it down onto the turntable with a delicate touch and gently eased the needle down. The crackle of the vinyl soon filled the apartment. “Say what you want about CD’s, nothin’ compares to that old-timey sound.”

The heavy tolling of the bell signaled the beginning of one of her favorite tracks from the group. She slowly began dancing along with the lilting guitars of Angus Young. “Fuck yeah,” she said, grabbing Irpa and pulling her close. “This is my fuckin’ jam.” The younger potential squeaked as she was yanked over.

Giles chuckled as the pair danced. As the lyrics began, however, he and Irpa were both forced to stop and stare in wide-eyed amazement at the girl.

Neo began singing along with the song…and she had an absolutely _amazing_ voice. Giles always loved the song but to hear her sing it, hitting the highs and lows without missing a beat was incredible.

As the song ended, she turned to him. “You ready, bossman?” She asked, snatching her sword up off the table.

“You have a fantastic voice,” he said to her. “You remind me of someone.”

“People say I sound a lot like Doro Pesch in her prime,” Neo said, making her way to the door. The guitars of _Shoot to Thrill_ sounded out. “Come on, big man. Let’s dance.” She stepped outside and turned to regard him.

Giles followed her out, pulling on a pair of gloves as he did so. “I’ll have you know, I’m no slouch in the fencing department myself.”

“Neither was Reggie. He taught me everything I know but I’m betting he didn’t teach me everything _he_ knew.” She held the sword vertically in front of her in a standard salute. “But I’ve added a bit to my repertoire since then.”

Giles did the same. Irpa watched from the doorway. Giles was teaching her how to fence as well but she knew she had leagues to go. It would be a long time before she was as skilled as Buffy, let alone her Watcher.

Neo whipped the sword down and began circling, her wide grin in place. Giles lunged quickly. She had to give him credit, he was fast as all get out. She swatted the strike aside but suddenly understood that she couldn’t show off. She had to take the contest seriously. Buffy was pretty much a novice in the bladed game. Giles was anything but and with that one attack, it showed. “You’re gonna make me earn it, aren’t you?” She asked, polishing up her stance.

“Indeed,” he said, moving like a man that knew his blade well. He came in again, loosing a sharp volley of strikes.

Neo met him head-on, her own sword working with expert precision. The ring of steel on steel was incessant. She didn’t allow him a single opening. A few came dangerously close but in the end, she was unscathed. “You’re damn good,” she said, smiling. “My turn,” she said to him, unleashing a rapid salvo.

Giles suddenly understood the enigma that was Neo. She was completely and totally unpredictable. He expected classic fencing techniques from her. That is not, however, what he got. Her blade seemed to come from everywhere at once. The rapier was an elegant weapon but it’s utility, as it turned out, was capable of so much more. At one moment, it was coming at him as would a Japanese katana. As he barely blocked the powerful strike, the girl was again in motion, never slowing. She flipped to the side, her blade arcing in as if she were holding a Chinese broadsword. He staggered back at the strength of the attack.

And that was his undoing. As he regained his footing, Neo was beside him, her sword touching the front of his neck, just below his jaw. “And that’s how it’s done.”

He slowly pushed the amazingly sharp sword down with his own blade. “Unbelievable,” he said, impressed. “You learned your lessons well.”

She stepped back and rested the sword on her shoulder. “Like I said before. Beats the alternative.” She turned to see Buffy approaching. “What up, blondie?”

“Slapping me around with a sword wasn’t enough? You gotta show up my Watcher?”

“Show him up my ass,” Neo said. “If I weren’t so damn quick, he’d have given me _far_ more piercings than even _I’m_ comfortable with.” She held her sword up. “Besides, he wanted to make sure I was good enough to be sporting this.”

“It’s actually quite a remarkable blade,” Gile said, again looking it over.

Buffy stepped up and looked at it. “Shiny,” she said, happily. She then looked at Giles. “What is it?”

“It’s a Hounslow Heath. It was crafted by Benjamin Stone. One of the premiere bladesmiths of the early seventeenth century,” Giles offered.

“So it’s a _good_ sword?” Buffy asked. “Oh.”

Neo sighed and turned back toward the flat. “I give up.”

“What are you listening to?” Buffy asked as she entered the apartment behind the larger potential.

“In a world inhabited by actual people, it’s called _music_ ,” Neo said, turning it down. “But you wouldn’t know anything about that, would you? If it was made before two thousand, you probably don’t even know what it sounds like.”

Buffy frowned. “I’ll have you know, I like some classic music.”

“Avril Lavigne isn’t classic. I don’t give a damn how old it is,” Neo said as she began strapping on her gear.

“I like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and stuff like that. I really like Queensryche and Juno Reactor.”

“I could take or leave Nirvana and Pearl Jam but Queensryche is a pretty solid choice,” Neo said, nodding. “Geoff Tate has an awesome voice. I do a pretty damn good cover of _Empire_.”

“Yeah you do,” Buffy said. “You look like you’re gearing up to storm a South American Drug Cartel’s hideout.”

Neo slid her sword down the scabbard on her back and turned to Buffy. The girl was dressed in a pair of black jeans, a hunter green short sleeve shirt, and a black leather jacket. She sported a pair of black boots with a modest two-inch heel. She raised an eyebrow at the slayer. “Really? _That’s_ what you’re going hunting in?”

“What’s wrong with my outfit?” Buffy asked.

Neo just shook her head and held up her hand. “You know what? You’ve survived this long dressing like Slayer Girl Barbie. Far be it for me to rain on your fashion parade. You ready?”

“Looking at you in that getup, I’m not so sure,” Buffy said. “Giles? Sword?”

He stepped over to the large trunk beside the stairs and lifted a typical longsword from among the weapons present. “There you are.”

Buffy pulled it out and looked it over. “Hello, old friend,” she said, grinning.

Neo moved closer to inspect the weapon. “Nice.” She reached out and touched the blade. “Gonna say…silver, wrought iron, and stainless blade?” she asked, looking at Giles. “Forty, thirty, thirty?”

Giles nodded. “A blade has to be at least forty percent silver to harm lycanthropes and certain demon types.”

“The same kind of blade as this,” Neo said, tapping the pommel of her sword. “Time to roll.” She tapped Buffy’s stomach. “Come on, Barbie. Let’s go fight some monsters.”

Buffy sighed and slid her sword back in her scabbard. “God, give me strength,” she said, following along behind the taller girl.

“Given the state of the world, I’m pretty sure he stopped listening some time ago,” Neo said.

Irpa and Giles watched the pair leave. “Here’s to hoping they don’t kill each other,” Gile said, nervously.

Irpa looked at him and back to the pair. She’d remained quiet through most of their exchange. Neither of the girls seemed nervous. Both were in their element. She knew they’d both come back. Buffy knew the streets of Sunnydale well and had experience with everything that came out at night.

Neo was just too stubborn to die. If she was going out, it wasn’t going to be on a routine hunt like this. But the tension between the two girls was almost palpable. Buffy thought Neo took slaying too seriously. Neo didn’t think Buffy took it seriously enough.

It was even money in pick-‘em as to who the powers that be sided with.

 


	62. Chapter 62

**Chapter 62**

Neo rested with one hand on the steering wheel and her arm on the open window. She waited patiently at the stoplight. “So where do you wanna look for these bastards? You know the turf better than I do.”

Buffy sighed and looked around. “To be sure, I don’t know.”

Neo groaned. “Christ,” she said, shaking her head.

“What?” Buffy asked.

“Nothing,” Neo said, bitterly. “Nothing at _fucking_ all.”

Buffy narrowed her eyes. “No. If you got something to say, say it.”

“Why?” Neo asked. “Not like you’d listen, anyway.” She pulled away from the light and began driving toward the warehouse district. “Taking advice isn’t exactly your strong point.”

“Like you got room to talk,” Buffy snapped.

“I always take good advice, Buffy.” She turned to regard the girl. “Key term there? _Good_ advice.” She returned her gaze to the road. “You don’t.” She paused a moment. “Although, to be fair, you did ditch the hillbilly. Points there.”

“What were you gonna say?” Buffy asked her. She was trying to keep the sharpness from her tone.

“Probably go in one ear and right out the other but here goes,” Neo said to herself. She flipped the blinker and pulled into the parking lot of a gas station. She came to a stop and turned to look at Buffy. “Have you spent _any_ time on the website?”

Buffy shrugged. “A little.”

“Okay. That’s a start,” Neo said. “If you were to come to Portland, or go to Point Defiance, you would notice something right off the bat. Rite and Cerri both have the towns completely wired for surveillance. They can both tap into just about every camera there is. If it’s got a lens, it’s eyes for us. That makes all of this just driving around and _hoping_ we find something bullshit kind of pointless. Yeah, the girls and I still patrol on the off chance we get lucky but largely it’s just to be mobile if Cerri calls out something that needs our attention. Lexi, Faith, and Kat are the same way. They keep it mobile while Rite cruises the eyes in the sky.”

“Okay,” Buffy said. “So?”

“So…why don’t you?” Neo asked her. “This is _exactly_ the reason I called you amateur hour last time I was in town. It’s because you _don’t_ take slaying seriously. You wanted to know how we were able to clean up Portland, despite having near as makes no difference seven times the population. That’s how. By doing everything in our power to be one step ahead of the vampires and shit that prowls.” Neo leaned forward and pointed up onto the lamp post. “Look at that up there.”

Buffy followed her line of sight. “What are you looking at?”

“On top of the pole. There’s a camera,” Neo said. She then pointed down the block. “And there’s another one. Sunnydale has a traffic cam network. Just like Portland. It isn’t that hard to tap into. The rest can be covered by solar powered wifi cameras. That’s what we use in Portland. We also tap into external surveillance cameras from businesses, gas stations, and even a few private residences. We use everything at our disposal.” She shook her head. “You don’t. That’s why you’re barely treading water in this town.”

Buffy stared at her a moment. “So what would you suggest?” She asked. As much as she hated Neo, she had to admit that, at this moment, she had a point. It was an untapped resource that she’d never thought about.

“Getting on the network,” Neo said to her. “I’m not saying you have to establish a secret lair or anything but you should seriously consider putting something together. Willow is a good enough tech nerd that she could do it. Get in touch with Lexi. I’m sure she’d give Willow carte blanche to get her own hub set up.”

“That’s something we can do down the road. What about tonight?” Buffy asked her.

Neo chuckled and pulled her cell phone. “Tonight you get to learn the benefits of sitting next to me.” She quickly dialed Cerri.

“Hey, Neo. What’s up? How’s life in sunny California?” The younger girl asked her.

“Slow,” Neo said. “Rhetorical question; can you tap into the traffic cam network in Sunnydale and give me and Buffy a starting point? We have no idea where to look for these Miquot dicks.”

“Answer to the rhetorical question; duh.” Cerri returned. “Give me a second.” She tapped away at her keyboard. “I’m in.” She was quiet a moment. “Huh. This is interesting.”

“What?” Neo asked her.

“The government fully funded the placement of the cameras.” Cerri grinned. “They’re absolutely everywhere. Sunnydale has better coverage than Portland.”

“That’s impressive,” Neo said. “You got cameras in places we didn’t even know were places.”

“Yes, I do,” Cerri replied. “And I’ve got a location for you if you’re interested.”

“Shoot,” Neo said, looking at Buffy and giving her a thumbs up.

“Out near the old junkyard at the edge of town. Near the substation where Professor Walsh tried killing Buffy.”

“Gotcha,” Neo said, firing the car back up. “They still there?”

“Yeah. Looks like they’re planning something. There’s nine of them total,” Cerri said. “Be careful.” She added with a touch of concern in her voice.

“Don’t worry,” Neo said. “I’ve got Buffy the Vampire Slayer with me. I’ll be perfectly fine.” She added with sarcasm. “And she’s ready for war. She’s even wearing a really nice leather jacket just the cutest Salvatore Ferragamo Florian’s you ever did see.”

Buffy looked at her boots and glared as Cerri laughed. “Well, be careful anyway.”

“Always,” Neo said, ending the call. “Let’s roll.” She backed out of the parking space, executing a textbook J-turn onto the street, before taking off toward the scrap yard.

 “You know, you’re a serious bitch,” Buffy said to her.

“Wow. Where’s your badge, Detective Benson?” Neo shot back.

 “What?” Buffy asked.

“Seriously?” Neo asked her. “Don’t you watch…? You know what, forget it.” She groaned. “Let’s just get this done so I can get the fuck away from you.” She stepped on the gas and ratcheted the speed up to almost a hundred miles an hour.

“You’re gonna get a ticket,” Buffy said as the car blasted through an intersection, catching air.

“Just shut up.” Neo snapped at her. “Seriously starting to get on my fuckin’ nerves. Ignorant ass…”

“Just how am I ignorant?” Buffy asked her.

“Why do you bother asking questions when you obviously haven’t got fuck one to give about the answers?” Neo said to her.

“Doing a hundred miles an hour in a thirty is against the law. I don’t care how good a driver you are.”

“Seriously? There is _so_ much about this organization that you don’t fucking know, it borders on just plain out and out stupidity.”

“What are you talking about?” Buffy asked, angrily. “You keep acting like you know so much more about everything that I do.”

“That’s because I do, Buffy,” Neo said, her tone iron hard. “I know _so_ much more about the supernatural world than you do it isn’t even funny. But that is entirely beside the point.” She screeched to a stop at the gates of the salvage yard. “We’re here.” She reached into her pocket and pulled her wallet out. She flipped it open to an ID and offered it to Buffy. “What does that say?”

Buffy took it and turned one of the map lights on. She furrowed her brow and looked at Neo. “This is a government ID. You have a fake government ID?”

“No. I don’t,” Neo said to her. “Danforth sent me that. Sent all of the girls in Portland one. Lexi and her crew have one, too.” She took the ID and put it away. “Get out. Let me show you something.” She climbed out of the car and motioned Buffy around to the back. “See that?” She asked, pointing to the license plate. “Exempt government plates.”

“How the hell?” Buffy asked. “You’re telling me that all of you guys are part of the government?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Neo said. “With a phone call, you could be, too. But you don’t bother to read. You don’t bother to put _any_ kind of fucking effort into being a slayer. You go through the motions, taking out a couple of vampires here and there and think you’re doing good.”

“I’ve had to take out entire nests before,” Buffy said to her. “And I’ve done it without all of this,” she said, motioning up and down Neo’s tactical uniform.

Neo gave her a nod as she opened the trunk. “Yeah, you have.” She pulled her sword and her knife out and belted them on. She slammed the boot lid. “Shows just how lucky you are.”

“Or how good I am at this,” Buffy said to her.

“Never said you weren’t.” Neo turned to look at her. “You’re a damn good slayer. I’ve always said that. I’ve never taken that away from you and I never will.” She walked toward the large gate of the junkyard.

“Then what _are_ you saying?” Buffy asked, falling in step beside her.

Neo made it to the gate and knelt to inspect the lock. “Forget it.” She pulled a collection of keys out of her pocket. She sifted through them and selected one.

“How do you have a key for this place?” Buffy asked her.

“I don’t,” Neo said, inserting a specific key. She fiddled with it for a few seconds before the padlock unlocked. She removed it and unfurled the heavy chain that kept the fence secure. She stuffed the keys back into her pocket and pushed the gate open.

“Then how did you do that?” Buffy asked her.

“By being good at what I do,” Neo said. “Most padlocks are similar in design. A properly machined key can unlock just about all of them.” She began heading toward the center of the yard. “Try not to be too fucking loud.”

“You know,” Buffy began, angrily. Neo’s hand slapping over her mouth stopped her.

“What did I just _fucking_ say?” She whispered harshly. “If you can’t walk without a sound and shut your Goddamn mouth then go back to the car. I’ll handle this shit myself.” She stared into Buffy’s hazel eyes. “Can you?” Buffy slowly nodded. Neo removed her hand and put her finger to her lips. She then turned and moved off.

Buffy stared at her a moment. She didn’t look like she was even trying to be quiet. But as the blonde slayer watched her, she realized something. Despite walking normally…Neo wasn’t making a single sound. She sighed and followed behind.

The potential eased around a stack of cars and finally knelt, watching. Buffy was behind her in an instant. Neo looked at her and immediately flashed a few hand gestures, with a questioning look on her face. “What was that?”

“Great,” Neo whispered, shaking her head. “I knew it was too much to ask.”

“Too much to ask what?”

 “If you knew ASL?” Neo asked her.

“I know AOL…are they even a thing anymore?” 

 “Ugh,” Neo said to her. “There are nine, total.” She looked at Buffy, staring at her a moment.

Finally, the slayer furrowed her brow. “What?”

“How strong are you? Max lift?” she asked, looking up at the cars around them.

“About seventeen hundred pounds,” Buffy said to her. “If I want a hernia afterward.”

“Really?” Neo returned with a raised eyebrow. “You’re a slayer and you can only lift four hundred more pounds than me?” She shook her head. “Jesus.”

“Steele can flip a Humvee,” Buffy said to her. “I can’t even move one.”

“Steele could _throw_ a Humvee,” Neo returned. “She just doesn’t like to show off _quite_ that much. You know what? Fuck this. There’re only nine of them and I wanna go home.” She rose to her feet and strode out among the demons.

“Neo, wait!” Buffy shouted in surprise. “Shit!”

Neo pulled her sword with her right hand and her large knife with her left. “I don’t remember tellin’ you motherfuckers you could camp out in my dimension.”

The yellow-skinned demons all whipped around, boney knives in their hands. Buffy ran out, her sword at the ready. “This was a bad idea. Just throwin’ that out there.”

Neo didn’t say anything. She just went on the attack. Buffy was absolutely flabbergasted. When she met blades with Neo in her backyard, she was humbled rather quickly. She immediately understood that there was a marked difference in the potential when she wasn’t showing off.

The demons all roared their challenge and went at the larger girl. Neo met them head on without anything even approaching fear.

The elegant rapier was a stark contrast to the black bladed Marine Force Recon knife. Both whipped out, cutting and slashing the demons apart handily. She knew she would have been hard pressed by even a pair of the beasts. Neo didn’t even look like she was _trying_. Her face was a grim mask of determination.

Buffy knew that she was stronger, faster, and tougher than the brunette. But she had to admit that she was nowhere near as dangerous. She just didn’t seem to have the _edge_ that Neo possessed. She’d relied on her slayer abilities for so long that she had begun to take them for granted.

But as she watched Neo fight, it finally clicked. For her, Alexia, Faith, and Steele, it was strength that made them what they were. It was a physical superiority that they would always possess. For Neo, it wasn’t about what she could _do_ , it was about what she _knew_. She had training that Buffy just didn’t have. She could meet monsters like this on even footing because she had the _skills_.

 _“_ _Stop claiming this is your town. It's not. It never has been.”_ Neo’s words suddenly rang in her head. Seeing how handily the girl was cutting down the demons, she knew that she was right. Portland was Neo’s town. Point Defiance belonged to Alexia, Faith and Kat.

But Sunnydale isn’t and never was Buffy’s. Because she didn’t take her role as seriously as any of the others did.

Neo shoved her knife up under the final demon’s chin and held him aloft. He gurgled and choked as blood pumped out around the blade. She pulled him closer. She glared into his eyes as he shuddered and died. She turned and hurled him at a pile of cars. He hit so hard, the metal dented. She stood there and glared at the demons a moment before wiping her blades on their leather jerkins. She sheathed her weapons and began walking back to the car. She passed by Buffy, not saying a word.

The blonde fell in step beside her. “That was amazing,” she said to the girl. Neo had taken a few hits but none of them seemed serious.

Neo flicked her eyes to Buffy but continued on. She opened the trunk of the car and tossed gear in. She removed her assault vest and began removing her body armor. She stared at it all a moment, then turned to Buffy. “You’re a slayer,” she said, making it sound almost accusatory.

“I think we’ve covered that, haven’t we?”

Neo continued to stare at her and just shook her head. She reached into the trunk and pulled out a stake. She spun and threw it as hard as she could.

Buffy followed its path and caught sight of the vampire bursting into dust several yards away. “Holy shit.”

“Didn’t even know he was there, did you?” Neo asked her. She slammed the trunk and moved to the driver’s seat.

“How did you see him?” Buffy asked. “I didn’t see him.”

“You shouldn’t have had to,” Neo said to her. “I’ve been trained all my life to fight this shit.” She looked at Buffy intently. “It’s been hammered into my skull that I have to be constantly aware of what’s around me. But being a slayer, _you_ should have been able to feel him coming. I know for a fact that Alexia, Faith, and Steele would have.” She shook her head. “Forget it. I’m dropping you off at your house and going home.”

Buffy leaned back in the seat and crossed her arms. “I get it. You don’t have to keep rubbing my face in it. You’re better at this than me.”

“Because you want me to be,” Neo said, firing the car up. “If you took this shit seriously, you wouldn’t have needed my help with this bullshit.”

Buffy was really getting tired of Neo’s attitude. “Maybe calling me _was_ a mistake. Maybe I was never cut out for this. But I _was_ called. I was chosen,” Buffy snapped, looking at Neo. “And you weren’t. You may wanna think about that.”

“I have. A lot,” Neo said. “I’ve already told you why.”

“Because the powers that be are afraid of you,” Buffy said.

“Everything is afraid of me,” Neo said. “Now you know why.”

“I’m not,” Buffy said to her. “If I thought you were really a threat, that you were willing to kill me, I’d end you.”

Neo slowly turned to regard her. “No, you wouldn’t.”

“Why do you do that? Why do you keep arguing with everything I say?”

“Because there is one thing – _just one –_ that makes you better suited to be a hunter than me. It’s the one thing that blesses and damns you all at the same time.” She turned back to the road. “It’s something I lost years ago.”

“What’s that?” Buffy asked her.

“Your conscience. No matter how hard you fight, no matter how angry you get, how far you _say_ you’re willing to go, you will never, _ever_ be actively _willing_ to kill a human. Not saying you _wouldn’t_ kill someone. But you’d never _want to_.” Neo looked at her. “You’d never be willing to kill me. Beat the shit out of me, sure. Put me in a coma, beat me within an inch of my life, absolutely. But when I’m on the ground, bleeding, broken, and finally unable to keep going…you’ll stop. You won’t go that extra step. You won’t end it. You don’t have it in you.” She returned her eyes to the road. “That’s why they called you. Because of all of the active slayers…you have a conscience.”

“Alexia, Faith, and Steele have a conscience,” Buffy said. “They’re not monsters, Neo.”

“When the shit hits the fan and family is concerned?” Neo looked at her. “No, they don’t. They’ll rip people apart to save the one’s they love, human or not. It doesn’t matter to them. But it’ll always matter to you. I kinda envy that about you, to be honest.”

 “I’ve killed people, too,” Buffy said. “By choice.”

“Really?” The potential found that rather hard to believe. “Do tell.”

“There was a boy that I knew back in LA. He was a nice kid. His name was Billy. He had brain cancer. Had maybe six months to live. In my junior year, he came to Sunnydale because he wanted to be turned. He didn’t wanna die like that.”

“Can’t blame him,” Neo offered.

“He made a deal with Spike,” Buffy said.

“His first mistake.”

“Believe it or not, Spike delivered on his end. Billy got turned.” Buffy wiped her eyes. She hated remembering the event. “Billy filled a warehouse basement with vampire wannabes and was going to hand me over to Spike. I pulled out my only stake and held Drusilla hostage. Spike gave enough of a damn about her to call his vampires off. I managed to get everyone out but left Billy unconscious on the floor. I’d knocked him out and freed everyone else. He was stuck in the basement with Spike and Drusilla.”

Neo furrowed her brow. “So everyone else was able to move under their own steam?”

“Yeah. Billy was laying on the floor. I was on the catwalk with Drusilla.”

“How does that make you responsible for his death?” Neo asked her.

“I should have tried to save him and I didn’t,” Buffy said, sadly.

“You’d have gotten killed and he’d still be dead,” Neo said, matter-of-fact. “You’re not responsible for the choices he makes.”

“I left him there to die,” Buffy said, somewhat angrily.

“Think about this,” Neo said to her. “Billy wanted to be a vampire, right?”

“He didn’t wanna die of cancer,” Buffy said. “He was just scared. I can’t really blame him.”

“Neither can I. Kid wants to get himself gnawed on, that’s his business.” Neo offered. “To each their own. Did he know you were a slayer? That it was your job to kill vampires?”

Buffy nodded. “He’d figured it out.”

“Then fuck him,” Neo said to her. “He wanted to be turned, knowing full well that you’d have to stake his ass. That’s like chucking rocks at a sleeping bear then getting pissed when he rips into you. The kid got what he wanted. You didn’t do anything wrong. When he climbed out of the grave, you just did your job. No blood, no foul.”

“I could have gotten him out of the warehouse,” Buffy said to her. “I should have at least tried.”

“And damned the kid to six months of a horrendous death of puking his guts up, skull-splitting migraines, and constantly shitting himself.” Neo flicked her eyes to her. “Jesus and you think _I’m_ a cold-hearted bitch.”

“Don’t you get it?” Buffy said. “No matter what kind of disease he may have had, he died in that warehouse because of me.”

“No,” Neo said to her. “He died in that warehouse because he was a selfish dick that was only thinking about himself. He died in that warehouse because he _wanted_ to. And not only that but he was willing to kill a fuck ton of people for no better reason that he thinks it would be funny. Aside from that, if you would have saved him, he would have just found another way. Kid was determined to be turned. It wouldn’t really take much for it to happen. There are vampires all over the place. You know that just as well as I do. But hey, you wanna carry around guilt for something that ain’t your fault, far be it for me to talk you out of it.”

“Well, excuse me for feeling bad when people get killed on my watch,” Buffy snarked.

“Like I said. A conscience. The rest of us don’t really have one.”

“No, I guess you don’t,” Buffy said, looking out the window.

“That’s why I envy you sometimes,” Neo said, her voice softening. “For the first part of my life, I’d been shown that there can’t be a life for me beyond killing vampires. Because, inevitably, it’ll all go to shit. Friends, family, lovers…they’ll all die because they won’t understand the world I live in. I got lucky, though. I found Quan, Cerri, and the twins. We all understood how dangerous the shadows could be. We’d hit bumps along the way, like Heidenreich fuckin’ up Cerri’s arm and me getting fucked up in Scipio. Now I’ve got Talia and Rain.” She swallowed and continued. “I, um, I watch them sleep sometimes at night. I just sit there and watch. I’m not angry, I’m not horny, I’m not…I’m not spoiling for a fight. I’m just content to stare at them as they sleep.” She looked to Buffy. “In those moments, I think I might actually know it’s like to be _human_. To not be the monster everyone thinks me to be.”

Buffy watched a moment. “You really have changed.”

“She loves you, you know,” Neo said to her.

Buffy sighed and leaned back as Neo drove along. “I know. I just don’t know how to handle it.”

“How do you feel about her?”

“I like her. I really do. But I just…”

“It’s her age, isn’t it?” Neo asked her.

“She’s only fourteen,” Buffy said. “I’m gonna be twenty in six months.”

“So?” Neo asked her. “Look at Cerri and Quan. Two more happily in love people, I don’t think you’ll find.”

“I find their relationship really, _really_ disturbing.”

“Yeah, but you can’t deny how in love they are,” Neo said. “And yes, they do get very, very physical.”

“I know, trust me,” Buffy offered. “But I’m not sure I can do that with Irpa.”

“It’s up to you,” Neo said. “I wouldn’t sweat the kid’s age but that’s just me. Life’s too short for hang-ups.”

“Somehow, I knew you were going to say that.” Buffy returned.

Neo chuckled and shrugged as she pulled to a stop in front of Buffy’s house. “Wouldn’t be me if I didn’t. Have a good night, Buffy.”

Buffy stared at her a moment. “For what it’s worth, I really do appreciate you coming to help me. We may never be friends but I am grateful that I know you.”

“Back at ya, blondie,” Neo said, pointing. “You got someone waitin’ on you.”

Buffy turned to see Irpa standing on the stairs, smiling. “Oh, boy.”

“Give the kid a chance,” Neo said to her. “Age is just a number, Buffy. And in our world, numbers mean everything and nothing all at the same time.”

Buffy stepped out of the car and slammed the door. She furrowed her brow and cocked her head. She turned to ask what the girl meant but Neo sped off, leaving a pair of black stripes on the road as she did so. She sighed and turned back to the house. She did tell Irpa she was willing to try.


	63. Chapter 63

Neo smacked her lips and turned her head to the alarm clock that sat on the hotel room nightstand. It read 9:02 AM. She sighed and sat up, stretching. She rolled out of bed, stretched again and went to the bathroom. After she finished her business, she got dressed and sat on the sofa eating the breakfast she’d ordered.

It was nearly eleven when she gathered up her gear and stood at the doorway to the room, looking it over. She reached into her pocket, pulled a twenty dollar bill out and dropped it on the coffee table before closing the door behind her. She entered the elevator and leaned against the wall. She flicked her eyes to the family of four that entered on the floor below hers. The couple looked at her and immediately averted their eyes. Clad as she was in a pair of low-riding black cargo pants, matching half-tank and combat boots, she could honestly understand.

The couple’s children, however, showed no such aversion. Both of them stared at her wide-eyed. Neither the young girl or boy was older than six, maybe seven years old. She looked down at them over her muscular arms and smiled, winking at the pair of them. They returned her grin with their own.

The parents both saw this and pulled their children closer. “Don’t stare. It’s rude.”

“She’s all muscle-y,” the girl said.

“Stop that!” The mother said, angrily. “We don’t talk about people.”

“At least the kid’s honest,” Neo said. “I can appreciate that. Hate people that beat around the bush.” The four of them turned and regarded her. Neo, for her part, looked down at the girl. “Never be afraid to tell the truth, kid. No matter what these two say.”

“That isn’t a lesson we need our children to learn, thank you.” The woman snapped.

“Leave it alone,” the man hissed. “You’ll make her mad.”

Neo couldn’t help but snicker. The man was an inch or two shorter that she was and probably weighed just as much. He was as average as average got. “Your kids. Raise ‘em how you want,” she said, lifting her hands to indicate she wasn’t trying to piss anyone off.

The elevator door opened and the family scurried to get away from her. The little girl turned and waved at her. Neo waved back. She stopped by the front desk, dropped off the keycard and made her way outside. She offered the valet her ticket and waited as he left and came back behind the wheel of the Crown Victoria. Neo tossed her bag into the trunk and climbed in. She pulled away and headed for the freeway.

She was nearly to the interstate when she sighed heavily and pulled over into a convenience store parking lot. “Gettin’ fucking soft,” she said, shaking her head. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell. She scrolled through her contacts and selected a specific number.

“Hey, Neo,” Kat responded. “Let go of that, dammit!” She snapped sharply. “Don’t hiss at me, you little turd.”

Neo chuckled. “Does Kat got cat problems?”

“Ugh. Flex woke up this morning full of piss and vinegar. She’s gnawing and scratching on my wooden spoon. Normally I wouldn’t give a shit but – God dammit, stop it! – but I’m trying to fucking cook.”

Neo could hear the underlying mirth in Kat’s voice. She snorted as she heard the girl struggling with the feline. “I really shouldn’t be laughing but…”

“Please. You’re such a bitch, you’d crack wise as your own autopsy,” Kat offered. “What did you need? You aren’t the type to call to shoot the breeze.”

“Probably should once in a while,” Neo admitted.

“Nah. The less we hear from you, the better,” Kat said.

“Well thanks a lot, bitch,” Neo returned.

“I didn’t mean…fuck, that was rude as shit. Sorry, Neo. I meant that you’re the kind that only contacts us when something is seriously wrong. If we don’t hear from you, it means things in Portland are copacetic.”

Neo sighed. “Copacetic. That’s just code for boring as fucking shit.”

“You’ll enjoy this. Did you know that vampires in Tokyo have heard of you?”

“You talkin’ about some shit-cock that calls himself Mao?” Neo asked her.

Kat furrowed her brow. “How could you – put that down! Jesus Christ, what the fuck has gotten into you?” Kat growled. “Gimme a second, Neo.” Kat dropped her phone. “Max come here and get her, would you? I’m not gonna be able to cook if she keeps fuckin’ with my utensils.”

“Come here, fuzzball,” Max said.

Kat lifted the phone back up. “Jesus. Never seen her so damn hyper. But yeah. We talked to Haru and she-,”

“Who the hell is Haru?” Neo asked, curiously.

“Oh, that’s right. You don’t know. She’s slayer four.”

“That the scrawny little spit-fuck that’s shacking up with Rite?”

“That’s her.”

“Good. Rite needed to fuckin’ get laid,” Neo said. “I need your help in Sunnydale.”

“Shout out?” Kat asked her.

“No. I need your car expertise. I’d call Quan but I don’t wanna wait for her to get here. I figure you can kinda just, you know, pop down and help me out.”

Kat chuckled. “You make teleportation sound so casual.”

“Not my fault you make it look easy.” Neo offered her. “Can you?”

“It’s gotta be somewhere I’ve been before,” Kat said to her.

“What about The Bronze?” Neo asked her. “Can you meet me there?”

“Okay, Max that is _so_ cheating,” Kat said, quickly.

“It worked, didn’t it?” the vampire returned.

“What did she do?” Neo asked.

“Max rolled my cat.”

Neo laughed out loud. “That’s funny.”

“Gimme about a half hour and I’ll be there. I’ll meet you on the catwalk above the stage. Have a coke ready for me. I’m gonna need the sugar and the caffeine.”

“Do you know anything about computers?” Neo asked, off hand.

“I’m not to Rite, Cerri, or Willow’s level but I can hold my own, why?”

“That’s good enough. I’ll explain when you get here,” Neo said. “Thanks.”

“No problem. See you in a bit,” Kat said before ending the call.

Neo tucked her phone back away and whipped out of the parking lot and turned around heading for the club. She groaned as she dropped the cover and walked in. The music, as always, was an incredibly forgettable emo cut from some band that she’d never heard of. “How this place even gets people coming in is completely fucking beyond me,” she said, shaking her head. She moved over to the bar. “Gimme two cokes,” she said to him.

“Five fifty,” he said with a bored tone.

She slapped a ten on the wood and took the sodas up to the catwalk. She set the drinks on the table near the wall. She leaned on the railing and sipped her drink, watching the people dance.

“Now that’s just a damn shame.” A male voice offered. “A pretty girl standing all alone.”

She sighed and turned to look at him. He was her age with a head of shaggy brown hair and hazel eyes. He was about as plain and plain could be. “I’m waiting for my girlfriend,” she said, hoping it would be enough to shoo him away.

“Oh, two for one,” he said, attempting to smooth up on her.

She turned fully toward him and set her drink down. “I’m gonna go out on a limb and say you’re not too bright, are you?” As he was about to respond, she shook her head and slapped her hand across his mouth, silencing him. “You know what? Don’t. I don’t really wanna hear you talk anymore.”

A bright flash behind the surprised boy caught her attention. Kat was suddenly standing there in a pair of black jeans, a sleeveless t-shirt and a wide smirk. “Making friends again, I see.”

“And my girlfriend just showed up,” Neo said, shoving him back. “Now go away.”

Kat stepped around him and up to Neo. She pulled the muscular potential in, took a firm hold of her bottom and pressed her lips to those of the slightly younger girl. Neo reciprocated, likewise gripping Kat’s butt with one hand and threading the fingers of her other in the tattooed dancer’s thick raven locks.

“Fuckin’ dykes,” he said, shaking his head.

The pair parted to turn and look at him. “And damn proud of it,” Neo said to him.

“Take care then. Bye-bye now,” said Kat. He tisked in disgust and walked away. “In his defense, you do look pretty good in that.”

“Why thank you, Miss Wulfheim,” Neo said with a smile. “Thanks for makin’ the trip.”

Kat took the soda and downed it, stifling a belch. “No problem.” She turned and looked at the people. “Christ, this music sucks.”

“Tell me about it. Places like this _really_ make me miss Holocene.” She motioned Kat to follow her. “Come on. Let’s get outta here and go someplace we can talk.”

The pair left the club and moved toward the black Ford. Neo tossed the keys to Kat. “You drive. You’re better at it, anyway.”

Kat slid behind the wheel as Neo took shotgun. “Where are we going?”

“Car lot. Don’t really care which one.”

Kat fired the car up and pulled away from the Bronze. “What kind of party are you planning?”

“Sex and rock and roll. Figured with your history, we’d leave the drugs out of it,” Neo said, smiling.

“Appreciated,” Kat said back to her. “And with your monumental anger management issues, the last thing we need is for you to be high.”

“Exactly, so…pussy and metal.” Neo offered.

Kat laughed out loud. “God, you’re refreshing.”

“I had to help Buffy with a bunch of Miquot demons,” Neo said. “Apparently Buffy can’t swordfight for shit.”

Kat furrowed her brow. “Yellow skin? Spines on their heads kind of like a stegosaurus?”

“Yeah, that’s them. Fuckin’ pussies if you ask me. Good with knives though. You get too close, they can carve you up pretty good.”

“I remember Victorville. That was the first time I saw you with blades. You’d smoke my ass, that’s for damn sure.” Kat admitted.

“Don’t worry, pussycat. You’re still a better hand to hand fighter than I am,” Neo said to her.

“Not so sure anymore. Quentin had a package of training videos put together for the hunter academy we’re starting up. Saw you on the road to recovery. You put in some serious wrench time to get back in the game. You might be able to take me now.”

“You still got the mystical mojo,” Neo said to her. “And like I said back in the hospital. I’d rather shit razorblades then try you on again. I think you might be the only motherfucker I’m actually afraid of.”

Kat understood the compliment for what it was. “So what’s the story with you and Mao?” Kat asked her. “Haru said he was looking over his shoulder for a while because of you.”

“Back in November, just after I got back from dealing with that werewolf bitch in Sunnydale, a couple of demon pieces of shit showed up. Not really sure what they were. Didn’t much care, either. I was on a burger run for the girls. I stopped by Jack-In-The-Crack and was comin’ out when I got jumped. One of ‘em fuckin’ tranq’d me. Dumb son of a bitch.”

“What did he use?” Kat asked. Knowing Neo as she did, unless is it was some sort of industrial strength elephant tranquilizer, it was a wasted exercise and would serve to do nothing but piss the potential off.

“Ketamine, from what I’ve been told. After I fucked up the two demons, I was tired for a little bit but that’s about it,” Neo said. “I ended up cutting the pair of them up with a chainsaw, cauterizing their wounds and sent them back to Japan with a letter telling Mao he was gonna be next and he needed to watch his back.”

“How did you know who sent them?” Kat asked her.

“They were singin’ by the time I was done with ‘em. As I was choppin’ the first one up, the second was goin’ full on Steve Perry for me. Cerri got down the pertinents and then we slapped ‘em in a big metal crate, sealed it up and sent it to Japan.”

“Christ. No wonder he was worried,” Kat said. Despite her uneasiness at the thought, she did let out a bit of a laugh. It was responses like that that made Neo the scourge of the underworld. Kat slowed in front of the car dealership. “This is the place we got Faith’s Fairlane from. You wanna try here?”

“Sure. I know what I’m looking for, I just need someone that can keep me from getting hosed. I know enough about cars to change my own oil but that’s about it. You and Quan are the experts.”

“Fair enough,” Kat said, pulling into the lot.

As the pair climbed out, a rather attractive blonde woman stepped up to them. “Hey,” she said to Kat. “Welcome back. How’s that Ford doin’ your friend? Her name was Faith, wasn’t it?”

Kat smiled. “Hey, Bobbi.” She took the woman’s hand. “Yeah, that’s her. And it’s still running like a dream. We drove it to Vancouver B.C. a couple of weeks ago.” She motioned to Neo. “This is my friend, Alice.”

“Pleasure,” Neo said, likewise taking her hand.

“So what brings you ladies by?” Bobbi asked her.

“Need a van,” Neo said to her. “Big, preferably with four wheel drive.”

Bobbi bit her lip. “Hm,” she said, looking around the lot.

Neo followed her eyes. “You got a lot of nice rigs here.”

“Dad owned the place. Packed it with barn finds and auction pieces. He and his buddies were gearheads, so they would pick ‘em up, fix ‘em up and slap ‘em on the lot. Started in seventy seven and just kept goin’.”

“Yeah. Steele also picked up her Cougar from this place.” Kat added.

Bobbi looked at her. “You know Steele?” She asked.

“Yeah. She’s a good friend.”

“Small world. We um…” Bobbi blushed a bit. “We shared a hell of a night a few months ago.”

“Did she do a Scorpions on you?” Neo asked her, grinning widely.

“Like a God damn hurricane.” Bobbi admitted. “I think I might have somethin’ for you. Follow me,” she said, gesturing.

The trio walked along, heading to the back of the lot. Kat kept her eyes out, looking this way and that. She’d talked to Faith about picking up a rig that she could tinker with and rebuild. Her Mercury, as Faith had pointed out, was in perfect shape. As was her GT40. She did have the Hummers that she could play with but she didn’t really care for them. Yes, the one she’d already put wrench time into was quite the performer but it was still big and slow by comparison. Kat was all about speed and the throaty rumble. So she checked out what the car lot had on offer.

“Here we are,” Bobbi said. “It ain’t the best lookin’ piece of hardware but she’s straight, runs good, and has the suspension you’re lookin’ for.”

Kat moved over to check it out. “’07 E-350. Not bad.” The gunmetal gray paint job had a few dings in it but otherwise wasn’t bad. It didn’t have any dents or major body issues that she could see. It was obviously four-wheel drive and had a touch of a lift. She opened the side doors and checked out the interior. “Looks like it’s been gutted.”

“Yeah. Guy was lookin’ to use it for a sport rig but ran out of money. Needed somethin’ a little more family friendly.” Bobbi explained.

“How’d you end up with it?” Neo asked her.

“He came into the lot with it. Part exchange on an ’09 Explorer Eddie Bauer.”

“Will this work for what you wanted to do?” Kat asked Neo.

“Yeah, she should be fine.” She looked to Bobbi. “What’s it got under the hood?”

“Six point eight liter Triton V-10,” Kat said to her. She pointed to the front fender of the van. “Says it right there.” She looked to Bobbi. “Is it the two valve, or the three?”

“She’s only a two valve. The threes only came in the Super Duty Pickups.” Bobbi returned.

“Well, she’s still pulling three hundred and five horses and four hundred and twenty foot pounds,” Kat said, lifting the hood to look at the engine. “Nothing to sneeze at. She’s not a monster but she’ll get up a move.” She checked everything out from top to bottom. “What do you have her priced at?”

“Haven’t really had a chance to price it, yet,” Bobbi said to her. “Gave the guy four grand trade in on account of the low miles. The Explorer he bought, I had out for nine-five.”

“Eighty four thousand miles is nothing on a V-10,” Kat said, looking at Neo. “If you want something tough and reliable, you really can’t do any better than this. She’s solid front to back.”

“What’s a fair price?” Neo said, looking from Kat to Bobbi.

“Well, you gotta make a profit,” Kat said, looking at the saleswoman. “How about fifteen?”

Bobbi stared at her a moment. In all honesty, given how much of a gas guzzler the thing was, she would have been surprised to get nine to ten thousand for it. Kat offering fifteen was a Godsend. “Um, yeah. That’s perfectly fine.”

It took a little over an hour to get all the paperwork signed and everything settled up. Neo put the cost of the van on the website’s dime. Kat sat behind the wheel of the van while Neo drove along in the cruiser. She followed Neo as the girl led her out past Goleta to the huge Best Buy along Hollister Ave. “What are we doing way out here?” Kat asked as they stepped out of their rigs.

“Here’s what I was thinking,” Neo said, moving over to the back of the van. “We have Cerri and her set up in our warehouse. You guys have Rite and the office building. Not sure what Angel and company does.”

“Believe or not, Cordy is running their cameras. She’s been working with Rite over the past few months to get everything together in the hotel.” Kat offered.

“Fair enough. But Buffy is down here still doing shit old school. This town has a massive – and I mean _massive –_ camera network that she isn’t availing herself of. So what I was thinking was building her a mobile station.” She patted the side of the van. “We outfit this thing with electronics and all of that high tech shit, letting them cruise the cameras. They can roll around town, Giles behind the wheel, Willow manning the monitors and Buffy ready to deploy.”

Kat turned and looked into the back of the van. “It could work.” She then turned to Neo. “But I’m gonna be honest. I don’t know _that_ much about computers. You’re getting into some pretty sophisticated territory.”

“I was kind of hoping to keep it a surprise,” Neo said.

Kat bit her lip. “Well…” She sighed and shook her head. “We’re gonna need help. We could always rope Willow in and tell her the rig is for someone else.”

“I could always say it’s for Quan and Cerri. For when we go on the road again.” Neo thought a moment. “That’s actually not a bad idea. Cerri was playing hell trying to keep everything straight on her laptop, tablet, and smart phone.”

Kat grinned, slamming the doors shut. “I bet she managed it though, didn’t she?”

“Of course she did. Fail isn’t in that girl’s vocabulary.”

Kat didn’t miss the sparkle in Neo’s eye when she talked about the petite drummer. “You didn’t used to brighten up when you mentioned Cerri. What changed?”

Neo sighed and shook her head. “She’s my biggest fan.” She smiled widely. “When I was in England, I hit rock bottom. I was really fucked up and thought it was the end of the line. I was considering just disappearing. Quentin flew Cerri in and the kid brought me back. She told me how much I meant to her. How much she believed in me.”

“Made you stop feeling sorry for yourself?” Kat asked her.

“Yeah, it did. I owe her the world. Putting together a Demon Queller mobile rig is actually a good way for me to thank her for what she did for me.”

“Did you want that to be a surprise, too?”

Neo shook her head. “No. I think she’d have a blast putting it together herself. To know that she has carte blanche would mean the world to her.”

“Let Lexi know what you need and she’ll cut you a blank check,” Kat said. “Let’s go and get our resident nerd and get this son of a bitch built.

 

Willow, of course was more than happy to help out. While she, Jerri and Neo worked on getting the interior done, Kat spent time working with the engine, adding a few aftermarket parts to give better performance and more power.

The additional electronics in the back of the van were going to add near as makes no difference about a thousand pounds to the weight of the rig. Having a little extra grunt under the hood wasn’t a bad idea.

The group worked long into the night, making sure everything was perfect. Neo was thankful that Willow allowed them to use her house to perform the necessary modifications. When they were finally finished it was almost one in the morning. The redhead invited them to stay the night and use the shower if they chose. Kat tossed the girl’s laundry in and thanked Neo for the use of a shirt and a pair of pants while her own laundry was going. She prepared a quick meal of broccoli beef and steamed rice for the four of them.

Willow’s surprise was complete when in the morning, she and Buffy were asked to come to Giles’ apartment.

Kat had taken her leave, teleporting back to Point Defiance, letting Neo be the one to present the girls with their new addition.

Neo was sitting on Giles’ sofa chatting with Irpa as Buffy and Willow came in. “Good. Now that everyone’s here.” She rose to her feet. “Let’s go for a walk, shall we?”

“I thought you were going home yesterday,” Buffy said to the potential.

“Decided not to. Willow here let me crash at her place.” She motioned the group to follow her. “Come on. Got something to show you.” The four of them fell in behind her as she led them out of Giles’ flat and down the block. She turned the corner and stopped, motioning to the large gray van. “There she is.”

“I thought you were building this for Quan and Cerridwen,” Willow said, furrowing her brow.

Neo shrugged. “I wanted it to be a surprise for you lot. Kat and I don’t know the first thing about electronics, so we needed you.” She stepped up and opened the back doors. “Go ahead and check her out.”

Buffy immediately noticed that the rear doors had various hooks and brackets built in to carry a wide array of gear. The inside itself was decked out with high tech electronics and surveillance equipment.

“From here, you can check out all of the cameras that run through town. You can stay mobile, patrolling the old fashioned way while Willow here keeps an eye on the cams.” She pointed to the back door. “Here you can keep all your gear within easy reach.”

Giles was amazed. “You even have shelves for books,” he said, pointing along one wall.

“Figured you could keep a few of your more useful volumes in here. Stuff you access a lot,” Neo said. “I know Buffy here doesn’t care for the secret lair like we and the Point Defiance girls have, so I figured maybe this would be more her speed.”

Buffy looked Neo in the eye. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Say you’ll use it.” Neo offered. “Say you’re gonna take a page out of our book and start hitting this town hard.”

Buffy gave her a smile. “I will,” she said, nodding.

“All bullshit and rivalry aside, Buffy.” Neo took her hands and held them tight. “We’re a phone call away. If you need us, you call us. When it comes time to tear through this motherfucker and put every supernatural sack of shit to the turf, we’ll be here for you.”

Buffy pulled her in and hugged her. “Count on it.”

“I gotta go. Got a long drive back to Portland. Take care,” Neo said. She looked at Irpa, then back to Buffy. In a quick motion, she grabbed the petite slayer around the waist and planted a firm kiss on her lips. Buffy was so startled by the maneuver, that she froze. Before she could react, Neo released her and stepped back. “Always kinda wanted to do that.” She then turned, climbed into the Crown Vic and drove away, leaving the four of them standing there, staring after her.

“Look at this,” Giles said, pulling a large black duffel bag out of the van. He unzipped it and peered inside. “How about that?” He said smiling. He moved aside to show Buffy.

Within the bag were a suit of body armor, an assault vest, a belt-harness with two high-quality machetes in scabbards attached, and an expensive carbon fiber crossbow. It also contained several pairs of black fatigue pants and a heavy pair of black combat boots.

Irpa lifted the boots. “They’re your size, too.”

Buffy sighed and likewise inspected the pants. “So are these. How in the hell did Neo know my size?”

Willow bit her lip. “I still have those clothes you loaned me for Halloween a few years ago. She um, we talked about that whole fiasco last night. She checked them out pretty heavily. I kind of wondered where she went after we all went to bed.”

“Probably the Wal-Mart out in Goleta,” Giles said to her. “It is open twenty-four hours.”

“Did she get to see you in it?” Buffy asked Willow.

“No. But she did try the shirt on.” Willow bit her lip. “Sorry.”

“Why? What happened?” Buffy asked, frowning.

“That shirt is dead. It died a horrible tearing death.”

“I liked that shirt,” Buffy said, pouting. “Friggin’ She-Hulk over here.” She turned back to the van.

In the bottom of the bag was a folded piece of paper. Irpa pulled it out and handed it to Buffy. “Here.”

The blonde opened it and read it aloud.

 

_Buffy,_

_You deserve to be every bit as terrifying to the underworld as I am. You've been doing it long enough. Ditch the valley girl wardrobe and start dressing the part. This should help._

_Like I said, we’ll probably never be friends but that doesn’t mean there can’t be respect. And you have mine. I do mean what I said. Sunnydale isn’t your town. It never was._

_But that doesn’t mean it can’t be. The van and the gear will help you get in the game. If you need help culling the tide, well…Maverick said it best: You can be my wingman any time._

_Sister slayer at heart,_

_Neo Knight._

 

Buffy stared at the note for a moment longer. “Bitch,” she said with a smile.

 

The trio of vampires saw the girl’s long blonde hair hanging in a careless wave down her back. Her stylish leather jacket glinted in the moonlight. They approached carefully, looking to catch their prey by surprise. As they drew nearer, the girl turned.

From head to toe, she was decked out in black tactical wear. She grinned with sinister glee as she cracked her knuckles. “Catch you bastards at a bad time?” She asked as she stalked toward them.

“Who the hell are you supposed to be?” The first vampire asked.

He was dusted immediately as she whipped a stakeout and hurled it, taking him through the heart. “Slayer,” said another vampire. The pair turned to run. The second vampire caught an arrow to his back. He exploded in a fine ashen mist. The third tried to outdistance her. He took headstones like they were hurdles.

But still, she was on him. He weaved around a mausoleum, his long legs taking massive strides…and still, she stayed with him.

She calmly reloaded her crossbow and fired. Her aim was straight and true. The bolt sank, not into his back but into the back of his right knee. He tumbled to the ground, grimacing and screaming.

She stepped over and used her foot, pushing him onto his back. She knelt and tore the arrow free. “Now,” she said, straddling his chest. “A friend recently told me that I wasn’t… _dirty_ enough. I wasn’t _mean_ enough.” She placed the point of the arrow against his chest, just above his heart. “I’ve been doing this for almost four and a half years now and still you punk asses come into Sunnydale thinking you can just take what you want. It’s kinda got me thinking…” She started pushing the arrow in slowly. He snarled and tried to push her off but she had him truly subdued. “Maybe she’s right. Maybe I _should_ be meaner. Maybe I should be just as sick, just as twisted, and just as evil as you.” She leaned down and looked into his eyes. “What do you think about that? Would it make me more… _relatable_?” She shoved the arrow in deeper. “Oh, look at that.” She gave him a sweet smile. “You’re all scared, now aren’t you?”

“Y-you’re supposed to be-,”

“The hero?” She asked. “The good guy?” She slowly shook her head. “No. Not anymore. There’s an old saying. If you do as you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten. I tried to be a hero. I tried to be a good girl. And all I’ve ever gotten was you sons a bitches rolling into my town and making more of your disgusting kind.” She shoved the bolt through his heart. “So it’s time for Buffy to get a brand new bag.” 

He drifted away, leaving her kneeling on the ground. She rose to her feet, dusted her knees off and turned toward the large gray van. “Welcome to Sunnydale…” She said, grinning with mischief. “Motherfucker.”


	64. Chapter 64

Neo raced along State Route 1 next to the Pacific Coast. She grinned as she kept her foot down, speeding past cars, freight trucks and motorhomes alike. She was heading toward Portland, toward home. No matter how much fun she had when she was abroad, she always looked forward to getting back. For her, home was definitely where the heart was.

She leaned her arm on the open window and thought about what she had waiting for her. She was thinking of Talia’s bright welcoming smile and loving arms. When she got back, the Watcher would pull her in and kiss her with a passion that was sure to set Neo’s desire alight. She then thought of Rain’s demure smirk as she lightly brushed her hair back over her ear. She would ease up and gently wrap her arms around and give Neo’s ass a squeeze. She found it funny that even after all these months, the girl still acted so shy but behind closed doors, she was anything but.

She then thought about the city itself. Portland, Oregon. The rose city, some called it. She’d read about the 1888 Episcopal Church Convention and how the name stuck but she wasn’t really sure why. It sure as hell didn’t smell like roses, regardless of how many gardens and festivals the city held. The city smelled mostly of tide flats, car exhaust, and hobos. But she didn’t really give a shit. It was her city. In the underworld, the dark and sinister side of the world that most of the people knew about but refused to believe in, she was the Watcher on the Wall. The people of Portland could sleep easy at night, because of her.

Despite how she may hate the fact that her city was so quiet, it was a good feeling knowing that she was making a difference. To know that even on the other side of the planet, she was feared. That felt awesome.

And thus, she was eager to get home. But that didn’t mean that she couldn’t take some time and enjoy herself. She wasn’t in any great hurry. Nodding, she reached down to hit her phone, dialing Alexia’s cell number.

“Hey, Neo. What’s up?” The teen answered her phone on the first ring. “How was Sunnydale?”

“A nice break, to be honest. Got slayer girl Barbie to start taking her shit seriously. She and I mended a lot of fences, I think.”

“Good deal. You two just come from different worlds.” Alexia pointed out.

“True. But now we gotta both fight to save this one,” Neo said. “And I finally got her to get in the fucking game.”

“How’d she take to it?” Alexia asked. She’d always felt Buffy to be a fairly gifted slayer, all things considered. The fact that she’d been doing it nearly five years without the added bonus of body armor, a professional support network to speak of and financial backing spoke volumes to her level of skill.

“She was on board, truthfully. It just bugged me that she kept referring to Sunnydale as _her town_. It isn’t and it never was.”

“You have a bad tendency to of throwing Portland in people’s faces,” Alexia said to her. “That grates on some people.”

“I don’t care how much it pisses people off. The fact that it’s a large city and its vampire and demon-free says a lot.”

“True,” Alexia said. “So what’s up? You called for a reason.”

“Gotta favor to ask you.”

“Shoot.”

“Kat, Willow, and I used the expense account you set up for the Sunnydale crew to build her a mobile monitoring station. I was wondering-,”

“You wanted to put something like that together for Cerri?” Alexia finished the question for her. “Kat told me when she got back. I got no problem with that. You guys deserve it.”

Neo smiled brightly. “Thanks. I do appreciate it.”

“No problem. Carte blanche. Get what you need.” Alexia offered.

“Awesome. Thanks again. Kid’s gonna go apeshit.”

“She really got to you, didn’t she?” Alexia asked her.

“You have no idea, Lexi. I really did think my shit was over. I was so depressed it wasn’t even funny. Cerri came to England and she pulled me out of it.” Neo felt a lump form in her throat. “I owe her everything.”

“Well do what you have to to show her how you feel, Neo,” Alexia said to her. “You have the website’s full support.”

“Thanks, Lexi,” Neo said to her. “Yak at you later.” She ended the call and settled back. A few minutes later, her stomach rumbled. “Alright, quit your bitchin’,” she said to the empty car. She kept her eyes open, looking for any kind of restaurant she could find. She was just rolling into the community of Leggett, California. Soon, she’d have to switch from State Route 1 over to Highway 101 and decided it was time to stop for some food. She grinned when a couple of miles in, she saw the FOOD NEXT RIGHT sign offering some sort of diner. “That’ll work,” she said as she flipped the blinker and pulled into the right lane nearest the exit. It was just after ten at night when she drove into the gravel parking lot. The place was surrounded on three sides by thick forest. It was the very definition of ‘out of the way’. The town, in and of itself largely consisted of a gas station, a second-hand shop and the diner in question.

She really didn’t mind. Places like this always seemed to have the best food as far as she was concerned. To her way of thinking, surviving clear out in the middle of nowhere meant you had to be good. She’d yet to have the theory proved wrong. She stepped out of the Ford and strolled up to the doors dressed for maximum comfort in a pair of drab green cargo pants and a black tank top. She pulled the front door open, stepping inside.

She was immediately assailed with the smell of grease, grilled meat, and strong coffee. “Shit yeah,” she said, nodding. “This is my kinda place.” The jukebox in the corner was softly playing an older Terri Clark tune. There were a few patrons, about six in total and a single rather bored looking waitress. The girl, not much older than Neo, with _‘Becca’_ across her nametag stepped up to her, plastering on a polite smile with a menu in her hand. “If you wanna follow me, I’ll get you seated,” she said, her tone sounding as if she’d said the line a hundred million times and knew she’d be saying it just as many more. She put Neo near the window in a booth and set the menu down on the table. “Get you started with something the drink?”

Neo did a quick check of the drinks on offer. “Just gimme a coke. Keep it simple,” she said to the girl.

“Be right back.” She turned and headed toward the soda fountain.

Neo flipped through, running her eyes over everything the restaurant had available. “Oh, here we go,” she said, noticing the large twenty ounce porterhouse. “That’ll keep me goin’.” She flipped the menu closed and set it on the edge of the wood.

Becca came back, putting her coke and straw down in front of her. “Here you go. Know what you want?” she asked, pulling out her ticket book.

“Gimme the twenty-ounce porterhouse. Medium rare. Gimme steak fries on that and I guess corn for the veg.”

The girl jotted it all down quickly. “You got it. Be about ten minutes,” she said, taking the menu away.

Neo rose to her feet and moved over to the jukebox. She leaned against it and began sifting through the cuts. She quickly noticed that a majority of them were country, with a healthy selection of what most would call _southern fried rock_. She was personally a fan of a lot of the classics and could find quite a bit to enjoy. At a quarter a play, she dropped in a dollar and selected four songs; _La Grange_ by ZZ Top, _Flirtin’ With Disaster_ by Molly Hatchet, _Simple Man_ by Lynard Skynard, and _Midnight Rider_ by Gregg Allman. As the guitar of the Texas power trio sounded out, she began dancing sensually by the box.

The rest of the patrons watched her as she moved. The table nearest her was occupied by four boys that were all still in their mid-teens. She decided to give them a show as she spun and dipped, just enjoying the feel of the music flowing through her. “She’s hot.” She heard one of the boys say. “I think that’s Neo Knight.”

“No, it’s not, dude,” another offered.

“I think he’s right.” This from yet another of the teens. “I’m lookin’ at the website. That’s her.”

“Why would she be dancing in a shitty diner in the middle of Leggett, California, dude?” The skeptic offered. “I’m tellin’ you, that ain’t her.”

“Fuckin’ looks like her.” The first boy said.

“Then why don’t you go and ask her?” Skeptic asked.

“You fuckin’ high, dude? I heard from one of my dad’s buddies that she killed a guy by punching him so hard, his neck broke. I’m not taking the chance of pissing her off.”

“It’s not her, man I’m tellin’ you.”

“Whatever, dude. She’s still hot as fuck.”

“Can’t argue with that.”

She chuckled at their exchange and saw Becca smiling as she carried out her steak. The potential dropped to her table, giving a heartfelt “Thanks,” as she quickly dug in. She slathered the meat with steak sauce and took a large bite. The beef was cooked perfectly and rather well seasoned. She lifted one of her fries, dipped it in the sauce and devoured it. It was crisp and juicy, causing her to give a little moan. “That’s what I’m talking about,” she said, happily. She pulled her phone out and surfed the web while she ate. She flicked her eyes to the parking lot as a large four-door late seventies Impala pulled in near the door and stopped. She went back to her food and her phone.

She’d just finished eating when a trio of boys, all of which looked in their late teens, maybe early twenties stepped into the restaurant. They all looked like they belonged on the set of a bad teen drama. They were all dressed in baggy jeans with boots, loose-fitting t-shirts, and leather jackets. She raised an eyebrow when one of them reached over and clicked off the neon ‘OPEN’ sign. She sighed and turned her phone off, sliding it back in her pocket. She could see things heading south rather quickly.

Becca, however, wasn’t even aware of what had happened. Neo looked to the rest of the people in the joint. They were likewise focused on what they were doing. “Lambs to the slaughter,” she said, shaking her head. She pushed her empty plate away and pulled her half-empty glass closer. She silently sipped her soda.

“Check this shit out.” One of the boys said as they passed by Neo’s table. “What’s up, baby?” Neo just looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. His long shaggy brown hair hung over his eyes. She kept his gaze and didn’t flinch. He reached up to touch her face. He was shocked when she gripped his wrist, slowly shaking her head. In that instant, she knew exactly what he was. As he tried pulling his hand away, she could tell he was by far stronger than your average teenage punk. She was heartened by the fact that his hand still went nowhere but the knowledge was there. “Let go of me,” he said, angrily. The look of surprise on his and his buddies’ faces was rather humorous to her.

“Leave,” she said, her tone little more than a growl. “You _really_ don’t wanna know what the ‘or else’ is gonna be.” She pushed his hand away from her.

Becca clutched the menus tightly to her chest and backed away from the group. She wasn’t paid enough to deal with this.

“Bitch, who the hell do you-,” another of the trio began. He was a dark-skinned boy with a bald head.

Neo shut him down with her thousand-yard stare. “I wasn’t fuckin’ talkin’ to you, dick head.” She looked back to Shaggy Brown. “Take a walk.” She shook her head. “I ain’t gonna tell you again.”

He crossed his arms. “Or what?” he asked.

She was on her feet in an instant. “Or I make you,” she said to him. “These people don’t need you fuckin’ with ‘em. I’m in a good mood, so I’m willin’ to let you walk but you keep givin’ me lip and shit gets real. Your call.”

“Fuck you,” this from the last boy wearing a light blue t-shirt. “Fuck you gonna do?”

Time slowed to a crawl as several things happened at once. Everyone in the room was watching the four of them. Becca screamed as Neo reached back, snatching the steak knife from her table. She quickly rammed it into the boy’s eye and gripped his hair, slamming his head down onto the table. The force of her blow shoved the blade out through the back of his skull. He roared as he fell to the floor. Clutching at his face.

Time returned to normal and the room erupted in terror-filled shrieks. The black boy with no hair went game face and leaped at her. She immediately straight kicked him in the stomach, throwing him back against the counter. She issued hard backhand to Shaggy Brown, knocking him from his feet. “You motherfuckers picked the wrong diner, on the wrong night with the wrong bitch.”

The bald vampire growled, lunging at her, looking to take her down. Neo side-stepped and hammered him across the upper chest with her muscular arm. He was flipped up into the air. As he was momentarily airborne, she hammer-fisted his chest, driving him into the floor with enough force to cause him to bounce. As he hit, she jumped and brought her heavy combat boot down on his skull in a grotesque _crunch_. She stomped twice more, turning his head into a lumpy red paste. He finally dusted away, leaving little but a pile of silt.

As she finished with him, Shaggy Brown brought his feet up and kicked himself up. Neo spun on her heel, her foot coming around to take him across the face. He was back to the ground with a sickening _crack_. She reached down and gripped the handle of the knife still embedded into Blue Shirt’s eye. “Gimme that,” she said, tearing it free. Bloodshot up in a geyser as she did so. He screamed even louder, gripping at his torn eye.

Neo ignored him and moved to Shaggy Brown. She knelt, pinning his arms with her knees and gripped his hair tightly. “You made a huge fucking mistake coming here tonight.” She plunged the steak knife into his throat, causing him to gurgle and struggle. “I bet at this point, you’ve probably realized exactly who it is you’re fucking with.” He did his level best to push her off. He was new to the fold. But even new vampires like him were told of those that were best avoided. One name, above all, dominated. The one person that was never to be crossed, never to be sought out, never to be challenged. Only pain, torture, and death awaited those that tried their hand. His eyes suddenly went wide. Neo smiled. “That’s right, motherfucker.” She continued her work. “You’re in my world, now. But not for long.” She slowly, deliberately, sawed his head free. “Now fuck off.” He crumbled to dust as she rose to her feet.

The rest of the patrons of the restaurant were shaking, terrified. Neo paid them no mind as she stepped over to the last vampire. She gripped his throat and lifted him bodily from the floor. “Guess what, motherfucker? You’re all alone.”

“P-please…” the vampire whined. “Don’t kill me.”

“Can’t kill what’s already dead,” she said to him. She spun and flipped him up onto the counter on his back. She then brought a hard ax-kick down on his chin, snapping his neck. His body jerked. “Wait right here,” she said to him, patting his chest. She moved behind the counter into the kitchen. “Hey, Hoss.” She smiled at the grill cook. He was a heavyset man with graying hair. “You got a meat cleaver I can borrow?” She looked around and saw what she was looking for. “Never mind. I got it.” She snatched it from the counter. “Be right back.” She went back out to the dining room. The vampire was again starting to move. She gripped his hair and quickly hacked his head off, letting it fall to the ground. She stood there and sighed heavily. She tossed the cleaver up onto the pass. “Thanks,” she said to him. She then pulled two twenties and a ten out of her wallet and tossed them onto the counter. She lifted what was left of her coke, slugged it down and set the glass back onto the table. “Deuces,” she said, giving the room a peace sign. She moved to the door and stopped, looking at the jukebox. Everyone followed suit.

“ _…Now you’re messing with a, a son of a bitch, now you’re messin’ with a son of a bitch!_ ” The lyrics of _Hair of the Dog_ by Nazareth floated through the diner.

She gave a smile and nodded. “Nice,” she said, before pushing the door open end exiting into the night. She climbed behind the wheel of the Crown Vic and fired it up. She raced away, spitting rocks and gravel all over the place.

“Guess it was her,” the skeptical boy offered quietly.

“Fuckin’ told you, man.” He grinned and flipped his phone sideways to watch the video he’d shot.

“You recorded that shit?”

“Fuck yeah, I did,” he said, nodding. “I’m posting it to the site right now. People gotta see this shit.”


	65. Chapter 65

Neo yawned as she idled through the early morning Portland traffic. “Home sweet fuckin’ home,” she said, angrily. She’d driven straight through the night, not stopping to rest. Now, she was seriously regretting it. She was tired as hell and wanted nothing more than to fall into bed. “Fuck this.” She turned the wheel and bumped into the parking lot of a gas station. She was down to a quarter of a tank of gas and needed to fill up anyway. She stopped at the pump and stepped out as the gas station attendant trotted out to meet her. “Tank it up,” she said, motioning to the ex-cruiser.

“You know, I’ve been thinkin’ about getting one of these. Some people on the net say not to bother because they’re beat to shit. How do you like it?”

“Just made the trip down to Sunnydale and back in it,” Neo said, turning to look at it. “’Course got a gearhead friend of mine that put down some serious wrench time and went over it with a fine tooth comb, so…” She shrugged. “Depends on what you get, actually. The newer the better, truthfully. Cops put a lot of miles on ‘em. This is the fourth we’ve bought. First one, I hated and sold. Second and third got trashed in Scipio, Utah. But this one, she’s doin’ alright. She’s growing on me.”

“What’s it got under the hood?” He asked as he pumped the gas.

“I don’t know. Five point seven liters, I think,” Neo said to him. She patted him on the shoulder and made her way inside, hitting up the hot case for a pair of burgers and a cup of coffee. She loaded the burgers with onions, pickles, and jalapenos before moving up to the counter. She stood in line, watching out the window as the traffic crawled by. She got to the register setting everything down. She pulled out her debit card and paid the nearly forty-two dollars for the fuel up and the food.

She drove the car around and parked, eating her burgers and watching the cars roll by. “Huh. AMG Mercedes. Nice,” she said as she ate. She heard a slight rap on the window as she took a bite. She looked over to see a boy not more than her own age. He smiled and waved at her. She hit the button to roll the window down.

As soon as it was halfway, he stuck a gun next to her head. “Get out of the car,” he said, his voice firm.

She sighed and began rolling the window back up. “No,” she said, going back to her food.

He pulled his hand free before it got caught. He drew back and slammed the butt of the pistol into the glass, sending shards all over her. Some of it landed in her burgers. He pushed the barrel of the gun against her head. “Don’t make me fuckin’ tell you again, bitch.”

Neo sat there a moment, just staring at her ruined breakfast. Finally, she let out a feral growl from deep in her throat. “Mother _FUCKER_!” She threw the food aside and shoved the door open. The boy staggered back as she rose from the car. “You cocksuckin’ motherfucker ass piece of fuckin’-,”

He shoved the gun in her face. “Shut the fuck up, before I-,” He didn’t have a chance to finish the statement before his weapon was smacked out of his hand and sent flying into the shrubbery beside the building. He watched the gun through its arc of travel. As he turned back to her, his face was hammered to the side so hard, he felt his jaw shatter like glass. Blood and teeth shot from his mouth.

“I was fuckin’ hungry you fuckin’ bastard!” She gripped his throat and lifted him from the ground. She drew back and drilled him in the stomach a half dozen times as hard as she was physically able. He coughed up blood with every blow. She spun and threw him down onto the concrete with authority. His skull hit the asphalt with an audible _crack_. Blood spattered across the blacktop. She landed a hard kick to his genitals before stepping back, snarling. “Motherfucker!”

She stepped in to kick him again but was physically restrained, albeit barely, by a pair of rather sizable Portland Police Bureau officers. “Alright, that’s enough.” One of them said.

She turned to look at him. He was big with a bald head and a pair of mirrored sunglasses. She didn’t know his name but she recognized him. “He tried stealing my car,” she said to him. “His gun is over there.” She pointed to the bushes.

The other officer, a man with short brown hair in a high and tight cut looked at the boy on the pavement. “Boy, if that’s true you got less brains that woodpecker on a metal telephone pole. You got any idea who this is?” He knelt and rolled the boy over and cuffed him behind his back. He then rose to his feet and went inside the gas station.

She turned back to the boy. “And this _fucker_ ,” She kicked him again. “Knocked the glass out of the door and got shards in my _fuckin’_ burgers.”

“Please refrain from further injuring the dirtbag,” the bald officer said. “We’ll handle it from here.”

“It just sucks. I was just mindin’ my own fuckin’ business.” She stepped forward but didn’t touch the boy. “You better be damn glad these two showed up. I’d have beaten you to fuckin’ death if not for them. You better get on your fuckin’ knees and offer up that throat, boy. These two just saved your damn life.”

The officer chuckled. “We are both very happily married, thank you.”

“Don’t mean he can’t offer,” Neo said, crossing her arms and leaning against her car. “He put his gun in my face when I was in the car and told me to get out. I said no and rolled the window back up. That’s when he broke it. Got glass all over my shit.”

The man shook his head and stood beside her. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

She shrugged. “Not your fault he was fuckin’ stupid.”

“I wanna press charges.” The boy said, swallowing back the lump in his throat.

“Boy, shut the fuck up,” Neo said to him. “’Fore these two take a ride around the block and leave your ass with me for another ten minutes.” He wisely shut his mouth. She looked at the officer. “Can he press charges?”

The cop snorted. “He can try. Chances are he’s got a rap sheet a mile long. Any lawyer in this town finds out it was you he tried to carjack, they’ll avoid his ass like the plague.” He gave her a soft nudge on the chin. “Every law enforcement official in this town knows what you and your girls do for us when the sun goes down. Saved a lot of the boys.”

“Here.” The second officer with the military cut said as he exited the store and approached the car. He handed Neo a pair of hamburgers from the hot case. “Figured since he fucked up your breakfast, you’d still be hungry.”

Neo looked at him and smiled, taking the food from him. “Thanks. You didn’t have to do that.”

“You’d do the same for us. We’re really sorry, Neo,” he said, returning her smile.

“Like I said to big man here. Ain’t your guys’ fault.” She looked back down to the crook. “Your ass just got lucky, motherfucker. Ask these two when they throw your worthless ass into the car. Ask ‘em who the fuck I am. See what they say.” She turned back to the car. “Fuckin’ glass everywhere. Pisses me off.”

The officers loaded the perp up in the back of their patrol car, gathered the firearm from the bushes, and drove away. Neo put her gloves on and spent the next hour picking glass out of her car, grumbling and groaning as she did so.

She then devoured her burgers, drank her coffee and set off on backroads to the warehouse. She was tired of the public at this point. Now she just wanted to get home.

A half hour later, she pulled through the large fence and into the bay door. She pulled in beside the Raptor and came to a stop. She stepped out of the car to see Cerri sitting at the monitors. She saw a video of herself beating the snot out of the would-be carjacker. It was obviously a cell phone grab. She was further surprised when she noticed that it was showing on the morning news. “Huh. Slow news day, I guess.” She approached the desk, looking at the footage. “You know, everyone says that the camera adds ten pounds but…I look pretty damn good there, don’t I?”

Cerri giggled and ran the feedback. “I like this part.” She let it go again. Neo was on screen fearlessly smacking the gun out of the boy’s hand. The look of shock on his face was priceless. “That’s just hilarious.”

“Yeah, he seemed pretty shocked.” She flicked her eyes to the by-line at the bottom of the screen. ‘Local Hero and Celebrity Alice Frog Stands Up to Would-be Carjacker’.

Cerri pointed to the word ‘Hero’ on the screen and turned back to Neo. “See? It isn’t just me.”

Neo leaned down and kissed the girl on top of her head. “I love you, squirt,” she said, moving to the stairs. “I’m gonna get some sleep. Then me and Quan are takin’ you shopping.”

“Really?” Cerri asked happily. “Where to?”

“You’ll see,” Neo said as she ascended to the apartments.

“But I wanna _now_ ,” Cerri whined.

“I’m sure you do.” The potential said before disappearing through the door.

“Well pooh on you.” Cerri snarked, going back to the program. She watched the video again. “God, she’s cool.”

Neo entered her room, quietly. Talia and Rain were both sound asleep in each other’s arms. She moved to the closet and slowly pulled it open, gathering a pair of shorts and a tank top. She was closing the door when she felt arms snake about her waist. “We missed you.” A soft British voice whispered into her ear. Talia began licking and nibbling on her neck. “Come to bed.”

“Wanted to take a shower first. Been a while.” Neo returned, closing her eyes as her breath hitched in her chest.

“We don’t care how sweaty and smelly you are. We want you. _Now_.” The Watcher said, her voice firm and steady. “On the bed with you.”

Neo knew she had no choice in the matter. She tossed her clothes back into the closet and lifted her arms so Talia could pull her shirt off. When her bra covered upper body was revealed, Rain joined the party. She knelt in front of the taller potential and ran her tongue over the hard packed muscle. “Jesus,” Neo said gripping Rain’s hair. “Keep that shit up and I’m gonna fall over.” Rain wrapped her arms about Neo’s legs and lifted her from the floor. She carried the girl over and tossed her onto the bed. She began unbuckling Neo’s belt and removing her pants while Talia leaned down, kissing the potential’s full lips. Rain took her boots off, tugged down her pants and her underwear and leaned in between parted legs.

It was definitely a wonderful homecoming.

 

Quan sat behind the wheel of the Raptor, rumbling along the streets of Portland. Cerri sat in the backseat, looking around. “Where are we going?” she asked.

“We got something to pick up first,” Neo said from her spot in the passenger seat. “This part is kind of for Quan but you’ll get your retail on soon enough.” She looked to the larger girl. “Take a left on Holgate,” she said to her. “It’s just off to the left.”

Quan furrowed her brow. “Where are you taking us?”

“You’ll see.” Neo offered with a grin. “Got something special for you.” She pointed to the sign just down the road. “There we are. Memory Lane Classic Cars.”

Quan’s eyes dilated. “Really?” She looked at Neo. “What are we going there for? Not that I’m complaining, mind you.”

“They got something I’m thinkin’ about pickin’ up,” Neo offered.

“You want your own set of wheels?” Cerri asked her. “That’s different. Normally you don’t give a shit what we cruise around in.”

“It ain’t for me,” Neo said. “It’s for the two of you.” She held up a hand. “You’ll see.”

Quan looked at Cerri in the rearview and shrugged. “You’re the boss,” she said to her lead singer.

Neo turned to look at Cerri. “No. Not anymore.” She gave the girl a smile. Cerridwen returned it, brightly.

Quan chuckled as she rumbled into the parking lot of the classic motor dealership. She stepped out with her friends. “Nice,” she said, smiling. “I’ve been here a couple of times but never bought anything.”

“Until recently, we ain’t had the scratch,” Neo said to her. “Come on. I wanna show you what I saw online last night on my way home.” The large bay doors were open and a few people were milling about, looking at the cars.

“Check it out.” Quan pointed as they moved through. “That’s a nice old Bonneville. Reminds me of the one we saw in Newport.”

“Better paint,” Cerri offered. “I like that Challenger right there. What is that, a seventy?” she asked.

Quan looked at the gorgeous black muscle car. “Nope, seventy-one.” She pointed to the front grill. “You can tell by the nose. The seventy had a single piece grill. The seventy-one had a split grill. That’s pretty much the only real difference.”

“That is a pretty subtle difference,” Cerri said. “Wow, they only one twenty-two grand for it?”

“That’s a great price for a 426 R/T,” Quan said, shaking her head. “Nice.”

“That’s what I was looking at,” Neo said, motioning toward a massive gunmetal gray windowless Ford Van.

“I already own a van,” Quan said, furrowing her brow. “I mean this one is a lot bigger but…”

“I know but I got a plan in my head for this baby.” She, Quan, and Cerri moved up to inspect it. “I saw this beauty and fell in love with it.”

“1976 from the look of it,” Quan said. She opened the rear doors and noted that it was completely empty. The interior box was painted and looked well cared for with no dents in the floors or the walls. “I’ll admit, she’s nice.”

“Wait until you see what’s under the hood.” Neo offered, smiling. “You’re gonna love it.”

Quan eyed her for a moment then moved around to the front of the rig. She popped the hood and stared at the pristine, sparkling engine and bay. “Did someone really put a 460 in this thing?”

“You got a good eye.”

The girls turned toward an elder gentleman that walked casually toward them. “It was ridiculously underpowered with the 5.7 liter that was in it. It was also smoking like a chimney. We decided to have a little fun and finagle this monster in here.”

“Looks like y’all did some serious work,” Quan said, returning her eyes to the motor. “With everything you did to it, I’d say she’s laying down, what? Five eighty at the rear wheel?”

He grinned and shook his head. “Performance internals and the EFI system gives it a hair under seven. Six ninety according to our Dyno. Seven hundred foot pounds.”

“She’s four-wheel drive, ain’t she?” Neo asked him.

“Yes, she is,” he offered. “She’ll do low twelves in the quarter and tops out at a buck forty-eight.”

“Those are some serious numbers,” Quan said. “How’s she handle?”

He sighed. “I’m not gonna lie, she can get a little top heavy if you take a corner too hard.”

Quan nodded. “As tall as she is, that makes sense.”

“Can we test drive it?” Cerri asked. She could see that Quan was happy with it.

 “Sure,” he responded. “Let me grab the keys.”

“Do you like it, Quan?” Neo asked her.

“It’s pretty nice, I’ll admit. Definitely has the power but why do we need it?” The larger girl asked.

Neo sighed and looked at Cerri. “That’s where tiny here comes in. We’ll pick this up if you’re down with it then we’ll take half-pint here to Best Buy or wherever and let her go crazy on the electronics. Figure we’ll set up a mobile monitoring station for when we go out on the road.” She could see Cerri’s eyes light up. “I can’t imagine the hell it was while we were gone having to run our entire setup with nothing but your laptop, tablet, and smartphone.”

Cerri simply stared at Neo for a few seconds before she threw herself at the girl, wrapping her arms tight about the potential’s waist. “Thank you, so much,” she said, giddily.

“I wanted to do something nice for you to thank you for what you did for me in England. Kat and I did this for Buffy and crew down in Sunnydale and thought it was a great idea. I started looking for a van when I was on the road last night and found this thing. Figured it’d be perfect.”

Quan gave her a nod. “She’ll do the job well enough.”

After a test drive that pointed out all the rigs idiosyncrasies, they dropped the seventeen grand the place was asking.

Neo drove Cerridwen to the electronics store while Quan took their new van and picked up everything they needed to start retrofitting the inside.

As they entered the massive Best Buy, Neo looked to the petite girl. “Alexia said outright that you can spare no expense. Carte blanche.”

“Really?” Cerri asked her.

“Yep,” Neo said, hooking her sunglasses in the neck of her shirt. “Go nuts.”

And Cerridwen did just that. She purposefully made her way back to the computer and communications section with a large cart. A young man with shaggy chestnut colored hair, obviously a sales associate, immediately stepped up to Neo. “How are you ladies doing today? Help you find anything?” He asked, looking directly at Neo.

She shrugged, appreciative of the fact that he didn’t just roll up on Cerri. “I couldn’t tell you, Hoss. She’s the brains of the outfit.” She pointed to the petite drummer.

Cerri was busy looking over the stock. She stopped, looked skyward and began ticking off her fingers. “I think…five oughtta do it.” She pulled the three monitors they had off the shelf and turned toward the employee as he approached. “Do you have any more of these monitors here?” She asked, pointing. “I need two more.”

Without missing a beat, he pulled his smartphone out and ran it over the barcode on the box. “Gimme just a second I’ll tell you.” He stood a moment then nodded. “We’ve got three more in stock.”

“You know what, let me get all three,” Cerri said to him.

“You got it,” he said, not batting an eyelash. “Are you gonna be slaving them all to one system?” He asked her.

“I might have to, to save space,” she said to him. “If so, I’m gonna need the biggest and baddest machine you got.”

Neo listened to them talk tech and was instantly lost. She was by far not the tech nerd Cerri was. The girl would go for hours. The sales associate strolled around with her, offering fairly sound advice when it was called for and let her take the lead when she wanted. In the end, Cerri had dropped the better part of fifty thousand dollars on state of the art electronics. When all was said and done, she was going to have a mobile station to be proud of.

She, of course, got extended warranties on absolutely everything. Given that they’d already had their gear destroyed once, any protection they could get would be helpful.

As Neo pushed the heavily laden cart out of the store, Cerri was veritably vibrating with excitement. “This is gonna be _so cool_.”

“Whatever you do, just don’t paint a knight chess piece and F.L.A.G. on the side of the van,” Neo said to her.

Cerri frowned at her, somewhat confused. Slowly, it began dawning on her. “Oh!” She said, beaming. “I get it. Foundation for Law And Government.” She chuckled. “Well, I _wasn’t_ …”

Neo stopped and turned the cart back around. “It’s goin’ back.”

Cerri ran around and put her hands on the front of the cart. “I’m kidding. I’m not gonna paint the Knight Rider stuff on the side of our new van.” She eased the cart back around.

“Better not,” Neo said to her, finishing their trip to the truck.

“Besides, I’d only paint that on the side of a semi-trailer, and even then only if we had a black third generation Trans Am in the back that could deploy on command,” Cerri said. “That would be kinda cool.”

“Yeah, I don’t see Alexia paying for that,” Neo offered.

“I don’t either,” Cerri said. “Besides that. Anna hates that car.”

“She’s got a point.” Neo agreed as she put the last of the stuff in the back of the rig. “Let’s go home and let you play with your new toys.” She didn’t miss the wide smile on Cerri’s young face. It made her feel good. The girl was in seventh heaven. And that was the way Neo liked it.


	66. Chapter 66

Neo paced back and forth across the living room of the apartment overlooking their warehouse.

Quan sat in her large armchair with Cerri resting comfortably in her lap. The twins both straddled a pair of the dining room chairs with their arms resting over the backs. Talia and Rain sat on the sofa nestled in together. “What’s on your mind?” The big woman asked.

“We’ve all got a pretty serious decision to make.” The potential said, sternly.

“What decision?” Talia asked her.

“We gotta figure out if we want someone here watching the place while we’re gone.” Neo looked at each of them. “Last time we took off, we had the weird sisters here looking after our shit. Now we’re gonna be gone for at least a week. I don’t cotton to leaving the place unguarded for that long.”

Everyone gave her a nod. “Who do we know that can make the trip?” Rain asked.

“I’ve already talked to Rite. She said everyone on the western seaboard is gonna be coming with us. Panzer and Bombshell are still in Europe. The Winchesters are socked down back east.” Cerri offered with a shrugged. “I don’t think there is anyone else. Alexia is leaving Point Defiance in the hands of the girenes and the wolf pack.”

Neo leaned against the wall and rubbed her face in her hands. “This sucks.”

“You and the girls promised you’d play Xander and Rio’s weddings.” Talia rose to her feet. “If it’ll make you feel better, Rain and I can watch Portland while you and the girls are gone.”

Neo frowned. “Yeah, fuck that right to the Goddamn ground.” She pulled Talia in and offered her hand to Rain. The younger potential moved over and took it, embracing her love. “I can’t live without you two.” She rested her forehead against theirs. “I wouldn’t survive.”

“You did fine in Sunnydale,” Rain said to her.

“That was two days. This is a week and a half,” Neo said to her. “I’d lose my shit without the pair of you.”

“If it’s sex you’re worried about, you can take up with Steele, Max, and Shelby. I’m sure they’d enjoy your company,” Talia said. “We’re giving you permission.”

“Fuck’s sake, Tal. It ain’t about the sex,” Neo said, sharply. She then softened her expression a bit. “Well, it isn’t _all_ about the sex.” She smirked slightly. “But it’s also about keeping me centered. Keeping my shit in check.”

“We know you can behave that long without us,” Talia said, caressing Neo’s cheek.

Neo sighed heavily. “I knew it,” she said her voice hitching. “You two are already tired of me, aren’t you?”

Rain drew back and slapped Neo across the face. She then grabbed her shirt and slammed her back against the wall, surprising everyone in the room including Neo herself. “Don’t you ever fucking say that again!” Talia stepped back, shocked.

“I-I’m sorry, Rain,” Neo said, staring at the girl. She noticed that her feet weren’t touching the ground. Rain’s arms were iron tight as she was held aloft.

“We love you, you ignorant bitch,” Rain snapped at her. “We were _trying_ to give you peace of mind, not get rid of you.” She dropped the girl and stepped back. Upon realizing what she had done, she fully expected Neo to come to her senses and smack the shit out of her.

Instead, Neo wrapped her arms about herself. “It just sounded like the pair of you were trying to talk me into it.”

“We don’t want to spend a single moment away from you,” Talia said to her charge. “But we also know that taking that long away from everything you lot have built over the past few years would cause you to worry. If Rain and I were to stay behind, we know you wouldn’t worry over us nearly as bad and you would fret over this place.”

“I know you two can take care of yourselves,” Neo said, simply. “But I’m not sure what I’ll be like without the two of you around. I was able to keep my shit together for Buffy because I had a focus. I was there for a reason. With this?” She shook her head. “I mean, we’re playing a gig for the wedding and that’s about it. We won’t really have anything else to occupy us.”

“It’s Los Angeles, Neo,” Quan said. “I’m sure we can find something to do. We did last time.”

“I guess so,” she said, sadly. “If you two think it’s best.”

“Please don’t be like that,” Rain said, her voice cracking. “You say the word and we’ll come with you.”

Neo bit her lip as she stared at the pair of them. “I don’t wanna be apart from you.” She clenched her eyes shut. “Fuck, being in love _sucks_.”

“Not always,” Talia said, pulling Neo in to kiss her on the lips. “It’s your decision.” She gave her a loving smile. “This is what being a leader is all about.”

“What do you girls think?” Neo asked, looking at the rest of the band.

“All of you have a point,” Quan said. “I mean, it would be nice to have someone here to watch our gear. But I also remember how much of a bitch you were before these two. Not keen to revisit it.” The twins nodded their agreement.

Cerri, however, offered a different route. “Neo quit being such a crybaby.” The older girl frowned at her. “Instead of splitting the group, why not just call Danforth and ask him to send a couple of guys? Portland is usually quiet as hell, especially in summer. And we just need someone watching the place. We don’t need anyone really to go hunting. I could always put together a list of the hotspots for them to watch out for.”

Neo stared at her for a long moment. She pushed past Talia and Rain, surged over to the girl and lifted her up, hugging her tightly, causing her giggle. “God, I love you.”

“I know. I’m pretty great.” Cerri responded, hugging the girl in return.

“Give him a call and set it up,” Neo said, happily. “He’s gonna have to have them here by tomorrow at noon at the latest.”

Cerri gave her a nod. “I’m on it,” she said, heading for her terminal in the open bay below. “There’s a reason I’m the brains of this outfit.”

“Cerridwen, wait,” Talia said, moving over to the girl. She jotted an email address onto the girl’s hand. “Instead of calling Danforth, send an email to this address. Tell them that Talia needs them in Portland by morning.”

“Who did you have in mind?” Neo asked her.

“Someone I knew from my days in the Deep Cover division. I still keep in contact with her. She’s a good friend. A bit on the mental side but she’d be able to handle things here for a week or so while we take some time away.”

“Mental don’t mean shit to this group,” Quan offered. “Get to it, Cerri.”

“Right,” she said before shutting the door behind her.

Neo turned to Talia and Rain. “Looks like you aren’t gonna be rid of me that easily,” she said, moving slowly toward the pair.

Rain ran and leaped into Neo’s arms. “Good.” She kissed the girl firmly. “Didn’t wanna. I was hoping you’d say no.”

Neo smiled at her. “I was gonna, too. You two are way more important to me than this place.”

That statement, more than anything, cemented just how much Neo had come to care for the two ladies in her life.

 

Talia pulled up to the terminal of Portland International Airport at just after ten in the AM. She smiled and waved at the petite Asian woman. Mia Takasagi, known to her friends by her undercover handle of Neko, had always been… _different_. Talia remembered working with the girl several times and she seemed to always have an air of offness about her. It never compromised her abilities in the field. She was one of, if not _the_ best infiltration operatives working in Europe today. Talia continued to look her over. She was still the gorgeous young lady she remembered. Her black jeans hugged her legs well. Her black long sleeve shirt was skin tight and left little to the imagination. She had on a pair of black leather gloves as well. All in all she looked… _normal_. She received a wave and grin back. The girl turned and said something as though she was speaking with someone. Talia couldn’t see anyone besides her. She furrowed her brow as Neko moved to climb into the car. “How’ve you been?”

“Can’t really complain.” The girl said, smiling at her. She turned to the backseat, her eyes narrowed. “Yes, that’s her. You met her before, dumbshit. She’s from _Britain_.” She rolled her eyes and turned back to Talia. “How about you?”

Talia was genuinely confused. She turned to look in the back to see it empty save for the girl’s bag. “Who are you talking to?”

“What?” She asked. “Oh, don’t mind them. They just like to screw with me,” she said, motioning to the backseat. “Any chance of getting some food? I’m starving.”

Talia flicked her eyes to the rearview mirror. “Who likes to screw with you? I don’t see anybody.”

“You remember Davidson, Heath, and Rennison, don’t you?” Neko asked, tipping her head a bit. “I know,” she said, nodding, flicking her eyes to the backseat before returning them to Talia. “Figured that one out myself, thank you.”

“Um…” Talia bit her lip. “They died six years ago,” she said, softly. “There’s no one in the backseat, Mia.” She used the woman’s real name to emphasize her sincerity.

“It’s complicated.” The woman said, shaking her head. “I took their loss hard.” Mia offered, sadly. “As you can see, things haven’t exactly improved.”

“So you’re…what? Hearing their voices?” Talia asked.

“Clear as day. Heath and Renny aren’t so bad. They only pipe up when there’s something I need to know that I’m not getting but Davidson refuses the shut the fuck up.”

“I remember,” Talia said, smiling. “And he was always a bit on the crude side.”

“Louisiana raised Marine. What did you expect?” Neko asked her.

“Couldn’t Quentin do anything for you?” Talia asked.

“No. Apparently my losing them triggered something in my noggin. I’ve got some sort of latent psychic talent that allows me to channel this shit. I can hear the voices of the dead, apparently. I don’t know much about it and frankly, I’m not sure I wanna know. It’s enough just having to listen to these three yay-hoos.” She thumbed toward the backseat. “I don’t even wanna contemplate who else I might be picking up.” She shuddered visibly. “Yeah, fuck that.”

“I didn’t know you were psychic,” Talia stated.

“Neither did I. Dad sure as hell wasn’t. Don’t think mom was. Never really knew. Dad never said. Figured that’d be something he’d point out if it were the case.”

“Maybe he didn’t know. Or your mother simply never told him.” She looked at the girl. “Perhaps examining your family’s lineage would shed some light-,”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake shut _up_!” Neko snapped. She again looked into the backseat. “I don’t give a shit how nice her tits are.” She turned back around. “Renny, would you shut his ass up, please?” She looked to Talia to see her smiling and blushing. “I don’t think I _want_ to know more about what’s happening to me. Like I said, I got enough problems with _this_ baggage. From what I can gather, it happened in Lucca just after the Finestro debacle.” Mia explained.

Talia nodded. It was a rather difficult assignment for both of them. She decided to let it go. “What are you in the mood for?”

“I could really go-,” She whipped around. “Fuck you. I do _not_ want fucking pizza, so stop asking!” She looked back to Talia. “I was saying I could go for a burger.”

Talia sighed heavily as she drove away from the terminal. She realized then and there that her friend wasn’t exactly in her right mind. That did prompt her curiosity, however. “Can I see it?”

“See what?” Neko asked.

“The arm,” Talia remarked. “I remember yours being-,”

“Yeah, you were there.” Neko pulled her left glove off and pushed her sleeve up, revealing a matte black metallic appendage. “It’s different than the one I got originally. Nachi-Fujikoshi Corp was willing to design me an arm.” She tapped her fingers together against her thumb. “It’s a lot more useful than that last heap of junk.”

“It looks quite advanced.” She ran her fingers over it. “It’s warm.”

“Internal heating elements. Mimics the warmth of a human limb.” She moved it about. “I really like it.” She squeezed it into a fist. “Two thousand pounds per square inch of grip strength.” She added, smiling.

“That’s impressive. How does Jack in the Box sound? My girls swear by it, it seems.”

“That’ll work. Let me get a cardiac special with the works and some of those curly fries. Love those things. And a strawberry milkshake.”

“You’ve got it,” Talia said, nodding. She noticed Neko pulling her wallet free. “Don’t worry about it.” She waved the girl off.

“I’ve got money,” Neko said to her.

“I know. But this is my treat. One old friend buying lunch for another,” Talia said to her.

“Thanks.” Neko put her wallet back. She was shocked beyond belief when Talia ordered an apocalyptic amount of food. “Jesus. You that hungry?” Neko then snickered and looked, once again to the backseat. “That’s fucked up, Heath.”

“What did he say?” Talia asked.

“Now he knows why your butt is bigger.”

“It’s not all for me, you ass.” Talia snapped, looking into the backseat. She sighed and turned back around. “And I’m arguing with a figment of your imagination.”

Neko smiled. “Welcome to my world.”

They quickly paid for the food and took off, heading for the tide flats. Soon they arrived at the large cyclone fence surrounding the heavy steel structure. “Here we are. Home sweet home.”

“You live in a warehouse on the waterfront?” Neko raised an eyebrow. “That’s…not what I expected. Like, at _all_.” She looked to Talia. “I figured you for some rich Count’s estate in Europe, somewhere.”

“Times change,” Talia said as the gate squealed open. She drove along and pulled in to the massive bay beside Quan’s truck. “Time for you to meet the rest of the band.”

“Looking forward to it,” Neko said. She then turned to backseat. “I’m not kidding, you three. I wanna make a good impression so would you please, _please_ not make me sound like a fucking lunatic for like, five minutes?” She gave a nod and climbed out of the car.

The six of them stepped up to meet their newest arrival. Neo approached her first. “So you’re the girl Tal offered up to hold the fort, huh?”

“I am she,” Neko said, smiling. “Mia Takasagi. But you can call me Neko.” She offered the larger girl her hand. She then growled and turned to look behind her. “Shut _up_! I’m not asking her that.”

Neo furrowed her brow and looked past the girl. “Um… _huh_?”

Neko sighed and tilted her head back, groaning. “Alright, look,” she said, rubbing her face in her hands. “About six years ago, Talia and I were working an assignment together. We were tasked by the Watcher’s Council to take down some rich douchebag named Bartolo Finestro.”

“Heir to the Finestro Wineries?” Cerri asked her. “I’m Cerridwen, by the way.” She shook Neko’s hand.

“He was the _founder_ of the Vineyard. He’s been faking his death and posing as his own son for the past four hundred years.” Talia piped in.

“Good plan,” Rain said. She shook Neko’s hand. “Thanks for making the trip. We do appreciate it.” 

“No problem. And Finestro seemed to think so. So Talia and I posed as rich businessman’s daughters on holiday in Tuscany for the summer. We worked our way into his inner circle, flirting, dancing, and seducing our way in. We had three other operatives as our backup. Corporal Jack Davidson; a United States Marine, the Watcher’s Council plucked out of the Middle East. First Lieutenant Bernard Heath; a member of her Majesty’s Secret Service, and Sergeant Lucille Rennison; British SAS. We went through training together. When we were in Lucca, our cover was blown. Me, Davidson, Heath, and Rennison were caught.” She fell back against the car, again burying her face in her hands. “Finestro, he,” She swallowed. She turned to the side. “I know it isn’t my fault, Renny. And no, I don’t beat myself up over it. Doesn’t make it suck any less having to tell them.” She snapped. She flicked her eyes to the side. “Yes, they _do_ deserve to know, Davidson.”

The girls all looked at each other as she conversed with her ghosts. “They talk to you a lot, I take it?” Quan asked her after introducing herself.

“Quite a bit, yeah,” Neko said with a nod.

“I gotcha.” Neo looked past Neko. “Then why don’t you three shut the _fuck up_ , so she can talk?”

Neko chuckled as her trio of passengers went silent. “Thanks,” she said, smiling.

“Continue,” Sadiira instructed.

“Finestro took his time with the other three. I had to watch. He made me. He left me alone with their corpses. After a few hours, they started talking to me.”

Talia took over. “I managed to slip my bonds, deal with the pair guarding me, and free Mia. By then there was nothing that could be done for the rest. I wanted to leave but Neko here wanted payback. So we hunted Finestro down and slew him. It was a rough go but we managed.” She looked at Neko and nodded.

“I lost an arm in the process,” Neko said, again taking off her glove and pulling her sleeve up. “This is a second gen replacement, mind but…”

Cerri and the twins immediately moved forward, looking it over. “This is amazing,” the younger girl said to her.

“I just hope you all don’t think I’m too off my rocker to do what you’re asking me to do,” Neko said to them. “I’m not insane, really.”

“Most crazy people don’t think they are,” Neo said to her. She patted the girl on the back. “You’re in good company, squirt.”

“You do know I’m older than you, right?” Neko said. She pointed to Talia. “I’m the same age as her.”

“Yeah but you’re like, two feet tall,” Neo said to her.

“I’m five four, thank you,” Neko said. She gripped Neo’s thigh with her left hand. “And I _can_ hurt you.” Her fingers gave the girl’s thigh a squeeze.

“Hey, stop that,” Neo said, gripping her metal wrist. She began slowly pulling the girl’s hand away.

Neko was shocked, to say the least. “Damn. How the hell?”

Neo stepped back, letting her go. She then reached down and rubbed her thigh. “I’m stronger than I look. That shit _hurt_.”

“That’s saying something because you look strong as an ox,” Neko said pulling her sleeve down and putting her glove back on. “So when do you ladies ship out?”

“Few hours,” Cerri said. “Let me give a quick tour.”

“Cool,” Neko said, following the girl. She leaned to the side, whispering. “Hell yeah, it was nice. Like fuckin’ concrete.” She then snickered. “Yeah, I know. But she’s taken, hillbilly.”

Neo shook her head as she watched the woman. “She’s different, I’ll give her that.”

“I like her,” Rain said. “She’s funny.”

Neo gave a nod and looked to the twins. “What do you two think?”

“She’s genuine, which is nice,” Sadiira said, pushing her fingers through her thick hair.

“I trust her,” Nadiira said, simply before moving off to the pairs’ workshop.

“Won’t get a better endorsement than that,” Quan said, turning to the pair of vans.

Talia was beside herself. She was glad that the girls were willing to trust Neko. She’d known the woman a long time. And she trusted her with her life. A lifetime ago, she had. And she was still around to tell the tale.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Demon Queller’s adventures continue in Alexia: The Vampire Slayer Chapter 283.


	67. Chapter 67

Neo reached up and knocked lightly on the door. A moment later, it opened to reveal Joyce. The woman smiled at her. “Good morning, Alice,” she said, stepping aside to allow the girl in. Neo entered, returning the woman’s smile. “I have to admit, you and the girls played wonderfully yesterday.”

“Thanks, Mrs. S,” Neo said back. “Gotta admit, you definitely know how to get down.”

The woman blushed. “Thank you. So what brings you by?”

“The girls and I been talkin’. Before I bring this to Buffy, I thought I’d run it by you first.” Neo crossed her arms. “Before I do, though, I wanna apologize to _you_.”

Joyce frowned. “For what?” She asked. Her eyes went wide. “Please don’t tell me you scratched my Lamborghini.”

“Woman, you musta bumped your fuckin’ head,” Neo said, sharply. “Even if I had, which I didn’t, let’s just be clear, I would _never_ have told you.” She shook her head. “Be fuckin’ stabbin’ my ass and shit.”

“Yes. Yes, I would,” Joyce said. “So what did you need to apologize for?”

“Buffy’s a good slayer. She’s got a good head on her shoulders. Been in the game for what? Four, five years now? And she’s still goin’ strong. Probably had a few touch-and-go moments but largely she’s been holding her own. In a town like Sunnydale, points to her.” She sighed. “I guess what I’m saying is sorry for making your daughter’s life so hard. I’m sorry we’ve banged heads so often. She has a hard enough time keeping her shit together without me showing up and being a fuckin’ cunt to her.”

Joyce stared at the girl long and hard. In the grand scheme of things, she didn’t know much about Neo. But what she _did_ know was that the girl rarely, if ever, apologized for anything. Her attitude was very much ‘I do what I want when I want and fuck what anyone else says’. So to hear her apologizing was a rarity. “If you’re truly sorry, why do it in the first place?”

Neo chuckled. “Because it’s who I am. It’s what I do. I don’t delude myself.” She shook her head. “I know for a fact that if I weren’t so good at what I did, I wouldn’t have _any_ friends. No one would want anything to do with me. I can’t blame any of them. I’m a hard girl to know. I’m an even harder girl to like.” She snorted. “Really, _really_ don’t see what the fuck Tal and Rain see in me but there it is.”

“Do you hate my daughter?” Joyce asked, point blank.

“Not at all. I got nothin’ but respect for Buffy. I mean I’ve been a vampire hunter for almost seven years but-,” Neo began.

“Wait a minute. How old are you?” Joyce asked her.

“Seventeen. Be eighteen in October,” Neo returned.

“Then how can you have been hunting vampires for seven years? That would have made you, what? Ten or eleven?” Neo gave her a nod. “I’m sorry, I don’t believe you.”

Neo shrugged. “Most people don’t.” She pulled her phone out. She dialed a number, putting it on speaker.

“Good morning, Neo,” Quentin’s crisp voice offered.

“Hey, Q,” Neo returned, happily.

Joyce had never spoken with the man but from what she heard of him, he was an asshole. She shared no love for him or the group he represented. How they treated her daughter was enough to make her want to take a shotgun to the lot of them. It was a sobering reality as a mother but that didn’t lessen the urge. But as she watched Neo speak with the man, she couldn’t help but notice how the girl brightened. It didn’t really make sense to her.

Neo, however, was unaware of her inner dialogue. “I’m here on speaker with Joyce, Buffy’s mom. I dropped some knowledge on her and she doesn’t believe me.”

“Good morning, Mrs. Summers,” Quentin said in response.

“Mr. Travers,” she said, her voice tight.

If her tone bothered him, he showed no sign of it. “What did you need me to clear up?”

“Joyce doesn’t believe that I’ve been actively hunting vamps since I was eleven,” Neo said to him.

“I assure you, Mrs. Summers, Neo is telling the truth. She killed her first vampire shortly after her eleventh birthday. Her Watcher, Reginald Clarkson was astounded. He actively discouraged the practice but found he could do nothing to stop her. Before she turned twelve, she’d claimed dozens of undead and more than a few demons.”

Joyce looked from the phone to the potential. Neo stood there impassively holding the phone in her hands. While Joyce would have been terrified if she’d found her daughter was doing such a thing, Neo didn’t see it as a big deal. “That’s…you know, I’m not sure what that is.”

“Yes, I was a bit skeptical at first as well. But Reginald has records to back up what she has claimed. She is every bit the hunter she claims to be.” Joyce could hear the tenderness in his tone and thought it incredibly misplaced. From everything she’d heard, granted from secondhand sources, Neo and the Council were like fire and ice.

“Thanks to you,” Neo said, softly. “Thanks, Q.”

“My pleasure, Neo. How did the weddings go?” He asked her.

“Great. Rio and Tara are leaving for their vacation tomorrow. Xander and Nikki are heading out on the road later today.” Neo offered.

“That’s good. Is there anything else?”

“Nah, that was it,” she said. “Thanks again.”

“My pleasure. Have a wonderful day. You as well, Mrs. Summers.”

“I will, thank you,” Joyce said before Neo ended the call. The girl stuffed her phone back into her pocket. “I thought you hated the Watcher’s Council and wanted nothing to do with them.”

“Things and people change,” Neo said, crossing her arms over her chest. She stood up fully and moved over to Joyce. She held her left arm out. “See this?” She asked, indicating the scar running along the inside of her elbow. Joyce looked and nodded. “I had to have complete reconstructive surgery. I fought with a demon and got my shit fucked up. It was so bad that even Kat, Rio and Tara _together_ couldn’t repair the damage. They did what they could and had to let modern medical science handle the rest.”

 Joyce ran her fingers along the scar tissue. “Does it still hurt?” she asked.

“No. But I have to constantly work it out to keep the scar tissue from seizing up. If I let it go too long, I’ll lose mobility,” Neo said to her. She sniffed loudly. Joyce looked up to see tears in her eyes. “I um, I thought I was done. For rehab, the Watcher’s Council flew over and picked me up. Took me to their HQ in London to get me back up to fighting weight. For the first week, I sat around feeling sorry for myself. Talia and Rain tried getting through to me but I was too busy wallowing in self-pity to give a shit. That’s when Quentin stepped up to the plate. He didn’t say word one to me.” She smiled, gripping her elbow and flexing it. “He had Cerridwen flown over to pull me out of it.” She chuckled. “Little Cerri just told me to shut the fuck up and stop being a mopey bitch. And she was right. After that, I hit it hard. I damn near broke myself getting back in the game. Quentin could have just left me here to suffer in silence. But he didn’t. He pulled out all the stops. He did everything he could to get me back in the fight. I owe everything I am now to him.” She wiped the tears from her eyes. “He fixed me. I’ll never, _ever_ forget that.”

Joyce could see the devotion in her eyes. She was, however, having a hell of a time coinciding the man she was talking about to the man that, just over a year before, had done his level best to kill her daughter. “Well, I’m glad you’re able to do what you love.”

“That’s kind of what I wanted to put to you,” Neo said to her. “It’s no great secret that Sunnydale is a shithole. There’s weird shit going on day and night.” Joyce wasn’t about to argue with that. “Have you heard Buffy or anyone else talking about Portland?”

“Portland…Oregon?” Joyce asked. As Neo nodded, she shrugged. “Bits and bobs. There isn’t a very strong vampire presence.”

“For the past two and a half, three years, the rest of the girls and I been hitting it hard. For the past year or so, vampires have started avoiding it like the plague.”

“Really?” Joyce asked, curiously. “I figure with a population of what? Half a million people…”

“Six hundred nineteen thousand, three hundred and sixty, give or take.” Neo offered.

“A population that big, why would vampires actively avoid it?” Joyce asked. Neo pointed a finger at herself. For a second, Joyce was quiet. “You?” She asked for clarification. “They avoid Portland because of you?” Neo nodded. “Why?”

“Because I’m scary,” Neo said, simply. She cocked her head. “You’ve never seen me in action, have you?” As Joyce shook her head, Neo again pulled her phone from her pocket. “Keep in mind, I’m not alone and I’ve never claimed to be. But of all of the girls in Portland, Quan, the twins, Rain, and Tal, I’m the most terrifying.” She brought up the website. “But keep in mind, it’s by design. I _make_ myself scary for a reason.” She loaded a video and turned it around, offering the phone to Joyce. “Just push play.”

She took the device and tapped, watching the display. In the footage, the girl was fighting fist to fist with a rather imposing vampire. He was several inches taller and probably weighed fifty pounds more. And the girl was beating the crap out of him. She flipped him over onto his back and shoved a large knife into his eye, causing him to scream. She left the blade there and, with her gloved fist, took hold of his jaw and began pulling. The muscles in her arm bulged. Joyce furrowed her brow and covered her own mouth with her hand. Bloodshot into the air as the vampire tried to fight her off. She stomped down onto his arms, pinning them beneath her feet. With the sound of tearing flesh and cracking bone, his jawbone tore free. She laughed as he shrieked in pain. She then gripped his tongue and likewise ripped it out. “Shut the fuck up, you pussy! Startin’ to piss me off.”

She’d seen enough. She dropped the phone and rush to the bathroom. Neo smirked as she lifted the phone. She could hear the woman vomiting into the toilet. “Can’t handle the truth, apparently.” She shut the video down and replaced her phone. She leaned back against the wall and waited while Joyce finished retching. The woman took the time to rinse her mouth and brush her teeth.

She came back out of the bathroom, wiping her mouth. “That was disgusting,” she said, staring at the potential.

“Now you know why shit’s afraid to come to my town,” Neo said to her. “Word gets around.”

“And you do _that_ to all the vampires you meet?” Joyce asked her.

“As many as I can,” Neo said to her. “The twins just blow holes in shit and Quan just beats the shit out them. I’m the only one that actively _punishes_ vamps for existing in my world.”

Joyce had a lot that she wanted to say about Neo being no better than what she fought but she quickly understood that that was the point. When she’d first met Faith, the girl had waxed that she loved being a slayer. _“…when I'm fighting, it's like the whole world goes away and_

 _I only know one thing: that I'm gonna win and they're gonna lose. I like that feelin'.”_ The girl had said to her. “Do you…enjoy it?” She asked Neo.

Neo nodded. “I love it to death.”

“You’re not a slayer, are you?” Joyce asked her.

Neo moved over and lifted her easily from the ground. “I don’t know. Am I?”

The elder woman could see that the girl wasn’t struggling to hold her up in the slightest. “I don’t know.”

Neo grinned and set her back down. “That’s right. And neither do _they_.” She backed up. “But to answer your question, no. I’m as human as you are. Of course, my psychiatric profile reads like a Psychology textbook.”

“You telling me you’re insane?” Joyce asked her.

“I’m a seventeen-year-old girl that fights vampires for fun,” Neo said to her. “At the risk of sounding like a bitch… _hello_!”

“Fair point.” Joyce sat on the edge of the bed. “So what is all this about?” She decided to get back on topic.

“I’m just gonna come out with it. I want you and Buffy to take a vacation. Get out of Sunnydale for a couple of months.”

Joyce frowned. “What? Why?”

“I wanna take the girls and move in for a while. Sunnydale has a bad case of rotten. I wanna clean it up. Given that it’s a Hellmouth, I know we can’t-,”

“Wait. What do you mean, _Hellmouth_?” Joyce asked.

Neo raised an eyebrow. “Really?” Joyce shook her head. The girl rubbed her face in her hands. “Jesus.” She groaned and looked Joyce in the eye. “A Hellmouth is a point between our dimension and the other various demon dimensions that exist in the Multiverse.” She could see Joyce was lost. “Fuck me.” She rose to her feet. “It works like this.” She moved over to the window and pulled the curtains back. “There are different dimensions. Hundreds, thousands. Maybe more, no one really knows.” She looked at the woman. “You with me so far?”

“Like Doctor Who?” Joyce asked.

“Sure. Let’s go with that,” Neo said. She thumped the wall. “Normally, there are firm barriers between all of them. Nothing in, nothing out. You feel me?” Joyce nodded. “With a Hellmouth, things are different. It’s a point in space and time where the barriers between dimensions are thinner. Hellmouths vary in size and strength but they all share the same basic properties.” She tapped the window. “A Hellmouth lets shit into our world. And it attracts supernatural shit to it.”

“And Sunnydale is one of these places?” Joyce asked.

“That’s right.” Neo turned and opened the window. She stepped back. “Sunnydale is one of the three most powerful Hellmouths on Earth.” She pointed to the open window. “ _That_ is what Sunnydale is. Wide open.”

“Just out of curiosity where are the other two?” Joyce asked.

“The Black Forest in Germany and the bottom of the Marianas Trench in the Pacific,” Neo said to her. “There’s also one at Stonehenge but there’s enough ancient Druidic magic around that nothing not of our dimension can survive there. That and the fey guarding it lay down the serious smack when shit tries making a move.”

Joyce stared at the window. “Why hasn’t anyone told me about this?”

“Truthfully, I’m surprised you haven’t asked. I mean, you guys have more vampires than New York has rats. There’s like, over a dozen graveyards and churches in Sunnydale. You never asked _why_?”

“I guess I should have,” Joyce said, suddenly sheepish.

“If you planned on raising your daughter there, yeah,” Neo said. She closed the window and drew the curtains. “Buffy’s been doing a decent job of holding down the fort but she isn’t making any real headway.”

“That’s not true,” Joyce said. “The town is a lot safer than it used to be. She has been making a difference.”

“Negligible,” Neo said to her. “It’s not a bag on her. Well, mostly.” Joyce furrowed her brow but Neo raised a hand. “Points to her, no one really showed her how to do it right.”

“What do you mean?”

“Have you seen what she patrols in?” Neo asked her.

“Inexpensive clothes so her good clothes don’t get ruined.” Joyce offered.

“Exactly.” Neo once again pulled her phone out. She brought up the website and the gear section. She handed the phone to Joyce. “That’s what literally _everyone_ else on the site wears when they patrol. Body armor, assault vests, tactical gear. The rest of us dress like we’re Seal Team Six.” She shook her head. “We don’t go out looking like we’re sponsored by Tommy Hilfiger.”

Joyce had to admit, it made sense to dress more practical. She sighed heavily. “I’m almost thinking that _I_ dropped the ball.”

“Don’t feel too bad,” Neo said, taking the phone back. She brought up an early image of what she used to wear before she met the girls from Point Defiance and got properly outfitted. “That’s what I was sporting before I got an upgrade.”

 Joyce saw the spiked football pads, the motocross armor, and the silver metal gloves and did her best not to snicker. “You look ridiculous.”

“Trust me, I’m well aware,” Neo said to her. “Glad I ditched that shit, believe me.” She put her phone away. “A while back, I helped Buffy out with a bunch of demons and gave her some better gear. Now she’s on board. She’s equipped like the rest of us and taking her shit seriously.”

“I suppose I should thank you for that,” Joyce said, dejected.

“The girls and I wanna get into Sunnydale, get you and Buffy out and do a thorough housecleaning. Steamroll shit and get the place squared away so when you two come back after living it up, Buffy’s fresh, thinking clearly, has her head in the game and is given a clean slate. She always talked about Sunnydale being her town,” She shook her head. “It isn’t and it never was. But like I said to her, there’s no reason it _can’t_ be. So Demon Queller is gonna take it, polish it up and hand it to her on a silver platter.”

Joyce looked at her. She had to admit, she did like the way a two-month vacation sounded. “But where would we go?” She asked.

“You wanna break from the weirdness, head to Portland. Every so often a random vamp makes a push but it’s nothing like Sunnydale. The girl we got watching the town might appreciate the help.”

“And you haven’t talked to Buffy about this, yet?” Joyce asked her.

“Nope. Wanted to run it by you, first,” Neo said. “Buffy’s proud and stubborn as shit. I figured talking to you first, you’d be able to help me talk to her. If I try this shit alone, she’d disagree with it just on spec.”

Joyce sighed because she knew the girl was right. Buffy may not like the whole ‘being a slayer’ bag but she was proud of the fact that she _was_ a slayer. And in truth, she could see why Buffy would be frustrated by someone like Neo. Buffy had once told her that slaying was something she could do better than anyone else in the world. The rather intimidating girl in front of her was, sadly, living proof that Buffy had been wrong. The truth was Neo was, in fact, a better slayer than her daughter. And she was sure that fact grated on her daughter to no end.

Neo could see the conflict in Joyce’s eyes. “I want you to understand something about your daughter.” She moved over and crouched to stare up at Joyce. “She’s good. I don’t mean just a good slayer. I mean she’s that, too but that isn’t what I was getting at. Buffy, a few quirks aside, is a genuinely good person. She’s managed to do this for years and hasn’t let it really change who she was. She hasn’t become what the rest of us have.”

“What are you-?” Joyce began.

“Faith, Alexia, Steele, Haru. All of the other current active slayers. Look at them.” She thought a moment. “Okay, maybe not Alexia. But the rest of them. Being slayers changed who they were. Took them all and twisted them into something else. Faith, from what I’ve been given to understand was more or less pretty easygoing. She was a bit of a wild child but she wasn’t a beast. Now, look at her. She beats the holy fuck out of everything that gets into her face. Girl enjoys slaying almost as much as I do. Steele used to be a soft-spoken country girl.”

“I find that hard to believe,” Joyce said.

“Trust me, it came as shock to us, too. But there it is,” Neo said. “Haru was just an innocent Japanese schoolgirl that collected Anime figurines. Now, what is she? Granted, a lot of who and what she is now, comes from eight months spent in a hell that even _I_ have a hard time imagining. But being slayers, even for a short time like Faith, changed her. It turned them all into something they weren’t before.”

“Why not Alexia?” Joyce said.

“She really isn’t any different. She’s always been protective as hell and all vengeance-girl. That really hasn’t changed. Now she’s just stronger, faster, and tougher. I suppose the argument could be made that it’s really ramped her sense of revenge up a notch but otherwise,” She shrugged. “My point is that unlike the rest of us, Buffy’s managed to hang onto what made her a decent person _despite_ being a slayer. I’ve always had a bit of an anger problem but never to the levels it is now. When I was a little girl I was a tad mouthy but that was it. Now I’m a fucking psycho. I find comfort in the sound of bones breaking and people screaming.” She could see Joyce pale. “I’m fucked up. Buffy’s not. And believe it or not, just between you and me, I envy the hell out of her because of it. But it’s also that good in her that’s going to make her want to turn me down. That’s why I need you to help me. She sees Sunnydale as _her_ responsibility. She sees it as _her_ problem. I don’t blame her. She’s got a right to feel that way. If she was able to come in at the ground floor, she’d have a better handle on things. She’d be able to say it was _her_ town and mean it.”

Joyce could see what the girl was saying and it made an incredible amount of sense. More to the point, she agreed with her. “I’ll help you.” She pointed to the chair beside the door. “Hand me my purse.” Neo did as she asked. Joyce pulled her phone out and quickly texted her daughter.

“This is gonna be interesting,” Neo said, smiling. She flopped down into the chair and waited.


	68. Chapter 68

Joyce let Buffy into the room a few minutes later. “What are you doing in here?”

“Just talkin’,” Neo said. “I’ve got more than enough on my plate right now.”

Buffy sighed and moved over to sit on the bed. “So what’s up?” She asked, ignoring Neo’s comment.

“Alice and I were talking about maybe you and me taking a vacation.” Joyce smiled at her daughter. “Would you like that? Just get out of Sunnydale for a while.”

Buffy immediately frowned. She whipped her head to Neo. “What is she talking about?”

Neo raised her eyebrows and pointed back to Joyce. Buffy, in turn, looked back at her mom. “What are you talking about?”

Joyce sighed heavily. She should have known better than just spring a vacation and expect Buffy to bite. “Go ahead.” She said, pointing back to Neo.

“Wuss,” Neo said to the woman. Joyce turned to her and stuck her tongue out. The potential chuckled. “Don’t immediately shoot this down just because it’s coming from me, okay?” Buffy crossed her arms and stared at her, narrow-eyed. She gave Neo nothing to go on. “Well, here goes.” She sat up and rested her elbows on her knees. “I want you and your mom to leave Sunnydale for a couple of months.”

“I can’t just-,” Buffy began.

Joyce interrupted her. “Let her finish,” she said, resting her hand on her daughter’s arm.

Buffy closed her eyes and let out a breath. She then motioned for Neo to continue.

“I throw it in your face all the time. The fact that the girls and I cleaned Portland up and can keep it clean.” Buffy nodded. She was pretty tired of hearing it. “Well, now I’m willing to put my money where my mouth is.”

Buffy frowned at her. Finally, she said, “You wanna try and clean up Sunnydale.”

Neo nodded. “That’s exactly what I wanna do.”

“I don’t need to be gone for you to do that,” Buffy said to her.

“Yeah, you really do,” Neo said. “I’m not gonna even try to say you’d be in the way, because you wouldn’t. Personal differences aside, you’re a slayer. And you’re a damn good one. But our methods are worlds apart.”

“Yeah, I don’t find the need to torture the shit out of everything that isn’t human.” Buffy snapped.

“Exactly. And in order to make the impact I wanna make, that’s exactly what I’d have to do. Our ideologies are too different to click. It’s not a bag on you and it’s not a bag on me. We just handle our business in different ways. I’m okay with that. My methods aren’t for everyone. But you’ve seen and heard firsthand how effective they are.”

Buffy had to concede that. Vampires knew of her, but they were petrified of Neo. Despite being faster, stronger, and tougher, vampires were more afraid of the potential slayer than they were of her. “Why?” She was forced to ask.

“Three reasons. One, Portland is fucking boring. We’ve pretty much worked ourselves out of a job. Two, because it needs to be done. And frankly, you’re both too late to the game and you don’t have the balls to get it done right.” She held her hand to keep Buffy from arguing. “I was already explaining to your mom that that isn’t a rib on you. It’s just a difference in methodology.”

“That’s two,” Buffy said, bitterly.

“Third is what I said to you a while back. Sunnydale isn’t _your_ town and that it never was. But there was no reason why it couldn’t be.”

“How is you doing the dirty work going to make it _my_ town? If you breeze in and lay down the law, things are going to be afraid of you, not me.” Buffy said.

Neo had actually thought about that. And she had the perfect answer. “You’re right. Initially, that’s what’ll happen. But after we clean the place up, we’ll hand it to you. You’ll be back at ground zero, at square one. Then you can ditch the squeaky clean valley girl image and start getting dirty. You’ll be able to build the reputation you wanna build. Soon shit in Sunnydale is gonna stop being afraid of me and start being afraid of you.”

Buffy stared at her long and hard. She mulled over what the girl was saying. “What about Giles and Willow?”

Neo shrugged. “What about ‘em? Giles is extra gray matter. Never a bad thing and Willow’s got some witch-fu and computer kung-fu that can be useful. Besides that, she knows the town better than we do. She can lay out a plan of attack for us. I figure we can also help to train up the midget.”

“She’s five seven. She’s not a midget,” Buffy said.

“She’s shorter than me,” Neo said to her.

“You’re also six feet tall,” Buffy shot back.

“No, I’m not. Kat’s six feet. I’m five ten and a half.”

“Oh, well excuse the hell out of me.”

“So we got a deal? You give us girls two, maybe three months in Sunnydale and you go…do whatever the hell you want. We’ll take out the trash and get the place tidied up for you. Then you’ll have a squeaky clean Sunnydale to come back to.”

Buffy sighed. “You make it sound so easy.”

“Don’t see how it’s not.” Neo offered, shrugging.

“It never ends in Sunnydale. That’s the problem.” Buffy said.

“You let me worry about that.”

“Yeah, I can’t do that. Because-,” Buffy began to protest, but again her mother stayed her with a hand on her arm.

“I think we should consider this, sweetie.” Buffy raised an eyebrow to her. “You can’t look me in the eye and tell me that Alice and her friends can’t handle it. They’ve all been together and doing this for a long time.”

“So have I,” Buffy said, staring at her mother.

“Not as long as I have,” Neo said quietly. As Buffy whipped around to glare at her, the girl smiled. “Just sayin’.”

“That’s beside the point,” Buffy said, angrily. She shot to her feet. “Yeah, you managed to kill all the vampires in Portland. That’s great. But Portland isn’t a _fucking_ Hellmouth.”

“It is, actually,” Neo said. “Well, Estacada is. It’s largely dormant, but it’s there.”

“It’s nowhere near as bad as Sunnydale,” Buffy said, hands on her hips.

“Granted,” Neo said to her. “But Portland also has near as makes no difference sixteen times the population and three and a half times the total real estate than Sunnydale.”

Buffy just stared at her. “Sunnydale is _my_ responsibility.”

Neo looked at Joyce. “What’d I tell you?”

Buffy turned to her mother. “Look, mom. I know you don’t like that I have to do this, but it’s not something I can run from. It’s not something I can just walk away from.”

Joyce stared at her. She was getting irritated. “Didn’t stop you last summer.” She regretted it immediately. “Honey I’m sorry.”

Buffy instantly began tearing up, but Neo rode to her rescue. “Yeah and we saw how well that worked out.” She rose to her feet. “My memory might be a little rusty, but word on the grapevine is a certain closed-minded mom told her daughter, as she was leaving to save the world, that if she left, she can kiss coming back goodbye.” She crossed her arms and stared at Joyce. “Or am I missing something?”

Both Summers women stared at her disbelieving. “Stop helping,” Buffy said to her.

Neo shook her head. “Facts are facts, Buffy. You tried walking away. From your friends, your family, your destiny. From what everyone says you stayed gone what? Four months and change?” She again shook her head. “Couldn’t do it. Something or someone brought you back.” She looked at Joyce. “You told her to fuck off, but she came back. Because she can’t stop. Call it God, call it fate. Shit, call it good old fashion bad fucking luck. Fact of the matter is, she won’t stop. She won’t quit.” She reached up and tapped Joyce’s forehead. “You gotta square with that someday, mommy.” She turned to Buffy. “But _you_ , Goldilocks. You gotta stop thinking this fight is just about you. You aren’t alone anymore. And whether you like it or not, there are some of us out there that _are_ actually better at this than you. Either through skill, preparation or knowledge. It’s okay to ask for fucking help.”

“I’m not _asking_ for help,” Buffy said, angrily. “That’s your problem, Neo. You keep thinking you know everything.”

“Believe me, of all the problems I do have, knowing too much is _so_ not one of them,” Neo said to her. “I’m throwing you a rope, Blondie. Right now, in Sunnydale, you’re treading fucking water. You’ve seen it yourself. Your mom has seen it. So has Xander. Everyone but _you_ knows the score. You seem to think you’re making huge strides, but you’re not. At best, you’re taking baby steps. I get that you don’t wanna be like me. Hell, I applaud that. I’ve got issues that no one in their right mind should _ever_ have.”

“You and the words _right mind_ don’t belong in the same sentence together,” Buffy snarked.

“Preaching to the choir, sister,” Neo agreed. “But the fact is, if Sunnydale is gonna get clean, and I mean _completely_ clean, you’re just not gonna cut it. Forgetting for the moment that you used to take slaying about as serious as you took homework-,”

“You really hated doing homework, sweetie,” Joyce offered.

“You’re _one girl_ in a city of thirty-eight and a half thousand people. That just _isn’t_ enough,” Neo said to her. “The girls and I are a _team_. Quan and I are heavy hitters. Just like you. But then we have the twins covering our sixes, making sure we don’t get overrun. We’ve got Tal and Rain as backup in the field in case shit goes south. And we have Cerri as our eye in the sky.” She shook her head. “We don’t work alone. We never have. Even when I was doing this shit by myself, Reggie kept me covered with his crossbow. Man could dead-bull a gnat at fifty yards with that thing. But we work _together_. We support each other. Even at you, Giles, Willow and Xander’s peak, you never really had the kind of support I do.”

Buffy listened to her words and was reminded of what Spike had said to Willow and Xander. That they were holding her back. She quickly realized that he was right, but not for the reasons he was intending. Willow and Xander had experience dealing with the supernatural. What _they_ lacked, that the girls from Portland didn’t, was _training_. The girls of Demon Queller all had skills.

Buffy and Giles never once suggested that the others of their group trained to be more effective. In fact, they somewhat discouraged the practice. Her thoughts drifted back to the night of Halloween two years ago. When Xander believed he was a soldier he was fantastic. He was brave, confident, fearless and performed at a level never before seen. He knew what he was doing and it showed. Since moving up to Point Defiance, she’d seen videos of him hunting with the group. She was immediately reminded of that night whenever she saw him. He wasn’t the dorky boy she remembered. He was a hunter, just like the rest of them. He made taking vampires out left and right look easy.

Neo and her girls were the same way. All of them – every single one – was a warrior and had been for quite some time. Even Cerridwen, the youngest of the group, had training that would let her, if the need arose, handle a vampire one on one. She’d seen videos of the girl taking the undead out. She wasn’t perfect at it, but she could hold her own. And it wasn’t because all of the girls were stronger, faster, or more durable than the monsters they fought, at least in everyone but Neo and Quan’s cases, it was because of what they knew. They fought smart. They fought strategically. But most importantly, they fought _together_. And that cohesion is what turned Portland, Oregon from a vampire breeding ground to a no-mans-land for nonhumans.

It was with that final realization that Buffy understood what Neo was getting at. _She’s not better at this because of what she can do. She’s better at it because she’s accepted she doesn’t have to do it alone._

Buffy sighed and lowered her eyes. “Where would we go?” She asked.

Joyce smiled at Neo. “Where would you like to go?” She asked her daughter.

“Doesn’t matter.” She said, shrugging.

“You could always go to Portland,” Neo said to her. “I wouldn’t mind having another experienced ass-kicker watching my shit.”

Buffy looked her in the eye. “I thought you said you cleaned Portland up.”

“Eh. Every once in a while we get a straggler or two.” She smiled. “Who knows? Maybe you’ll get to meet Niravatheu. He’s _really_ cool.”

Joyce and Buffy both lifted a brow. “Niravatheu?” They asked in unison.

“I know, right?” Neo said. “Tell me that name isn’t badass.”

Buffy gave an appreciative nod. “It’s unique, I’ll give him that. He a vampire?”

“Yeah. He mostly kicks it in Pasa Robles. He takes out other vampires to keep competition to a minimum. Ran into him a few months ago when we were on tour. It was pretty cool. He saved Talia and Rain when Dracula came to Portland.”

“Whoa. Did you say _Dracula_?” Joyce asked.

Neo grinned and nodded. She moved Buffy to the bed and sat down. “It’s a really cool story. First, he showed up in Point Defiance and fucked with Haru…” Buffy and Joyce listened as Neo regaled them of everyone’s encounters with the supposed ‘Prince of Darkness’.

Hearing the story of Neo’s tussle with him sealed it in Buffy’s mind. Sunnydale’s problems were going to be solved very shortly. If she’d had concerns about leaving the Hellmouth in Neo’s hands, they were well and truly settled.

 

“So she went for it, huh?” Alexia asked the potential as she piled the pair of hotdogs she’d gotten from the cart with onions, pickles and jalapenos.

Neo stood right beside her, nodding. She was likewise loading hers up. “Yeah. Took some convincing, but she’s down. She did clear up that she’s definitely taking Irpa with her.” They moved away from the vendor and took a seat at the picnic table on the grass overlooking the ocean. “I don’t want her picking up any of your nasty habits. That’s what she said to me.”

“Can you blame her?” Alexia asked.

“Shit, no,” Neo returned with a smirk. “But even all of that aside, I’m excited as hell.”

“I can tell,” Alexia offered. “You look it.”

Neo took a bite of her dog. “I’m just hopin’ it’s not at, like, a slow season or something. It would suck balls to get there and nothin’ going on.”

Alexia laughed out loud. “That would actually be hilarious.”

“Do we know if the Initiative still has a presence?” Neo asked.

The teen shook her head. “No. After the Adam fiasco, they removed the tech and the personnel. There’s nothing there, now. Danforth tried letting Riley handle things but shut it down. He’s looking at possibly putting another team in place, but nothing solid’s been set in motion.”

“Good. I don’t wanna have to share.” Neo looked around. “I’m still wondering what the fuck that bitch from Wolfram and Hart was thinking.”

Alexia dropped her head to the table and laughing. “Christ. You’re _still_ on that?”

“Well, it wasn’t you, she was trying to threaten.” Neo crumpled the cardboard serving boat up and tossed it into the trash can. She sat nursing her coke. “One motherfucker with a gun. _Fuck_ , that shit was insulting. Still, think I should have whupped her ass more than I did.”

“You broke her nose, her jaw and both of her elbows. How much more damage-,” She stopped as she looked Neo in the eye. “You know what? Forget I asked.”

“Tell me that wouldn’t have ground your gears,” Neo said. “Someone thinks they can just intimidate you just because they have a fuckin’ gun.”

Alexia put her hotdog down and reached up, pulling the shoulder of her shirt down. “Yeah, me and guns?” She shook her head. “We don’t get along.”

Neo looked at the scar tissue. “Slayer healing didn’t cover it, huh?”

“Not double-ought buck at point blank range,” Alexia said, going back to her food. “Remember the blonde vampire we ran into in Sunnydale? The one that couldn’t fight back because of that chip in his head?”

Neo grinned. “Oh yeah, I remember him.”

Alexia sighed. “From what Buffy says.” She sneered. “Fucker’s actually been kind of useful. He actively hunts and kills other vampires and demons now.”

“She didn’t mention that,” Neo returned. “We’ll see where his allegiances lie, if that’s the case.”

“There is definitely gonna be one good thing about you being in Sunnydale.” Neo raised an eyebrow. “The music at The Bronze is gonna be a lot better.”

“Hadn’t even thought of that. I gotta talk to Cerri about that.” She finished her coke as Alexia polished her hotdog off. “When are you guys headed back?” Neo asked.

“Tomorrow. Mom and dad both have to be home for work,” Alexia said, getting up. She stood and stretched. “Kinda sad Xander’s married now. Less access.”

Neo chuckled. “Yeah, because Nikki’s gonna be against you lot getting freaky.”

“Kat, Faith and I actually talked about it. We’ve decided we’re gonna leave them alone for the most part.”

“Why?” Neo asked.

“Because he deserves it. He deserves to live his life and be happy. The pair of them are just that, you know?” Alexia shrugged. “It just feels dirty coming between that.”

“I suppose I can see that.” The pair began the walk back to the hotel. “What are you guys gonna do when you get back?” Neo asked. “Anything big on the horizon?”

“Not really. Probably check in on the academy. See how that’s going.”

“Still amazes me you put that shit together,” Neo offered. “I never would have expected that.”

“I’m just glad Danforth put the military’s stamp on it. That way we can operate without legal trouble.”

“Unless some junior hunter gets whacked,” Neo said. “Good lawyer could still tear you a new one.”

Alexia grinned. “Nah. Then I’ll just sick Norine on ‘em.”

“Norine?” Neo asked.

“Norine Baumgartner.” Alexia turned to look at her. “ _My_ lawyer.”

Neo grinned widely. “Ah. I remember her.”

Alexia furrowed her brow. “How do you know her?”

“It was right after we met the twins. We were tangling with a cult of demon summoners out at the Springdale Job Corps Center. We took ‘em out and got arrested. Something about being on government land or some shit. She got us out.” She sighed. “That was a good night.”

“You fucked my lawyer?” Alexia asked.

“Well, in all fairness I don’t think she was your lawyer at the time,” Neo offered.

Alexia sped up, shaking her head. “Can’t believe you.” She could hear Neo chuckling behind her.


	69. Chapter 69

Quentin was pulled from his slumber as the incessant ring of his telephone echoed into his bedroom. He looked at the clock and saw it was just after five thirty in the morning. “Bloody hell.” He groaned deeply as he reached over and took hold of his cordless. “Yes, Travers.” He said, groggily.

“Q. It’s Neo. Sorry if I woke you,” she said, softly. “I felt you needed to hear this from me.”

He sat bolt upright in bed. “Alice? What’s the matter?”

“Buffy and I had a conversation. We came to a decision.”

“I was sort of wondering what your call yesterday was about,” he offered.

“I guess I’ll just come right out with it. The girls and I are heading to the Hellmouth.”

“Sunnydale?” he asked for clarification.

Neo nodded. “Yeah. I was telling Buffy that, as it sits right now, she isn’t equipped to wipe the town clean. She isn’t dirty enough, mean enough or strong enough. She ain’t got the resources. _We_ do.”

“So you’re going to be there for a spell to assist her?” Quentin asked.

“No. We’re packing up Buffy, Joyce, and Irpa and sending them on a vacation for a couple of months. Neko is gonna keep shit tight in Portland until we get back. Says she’s had a couple of pops, so I’m glad she’s there. Buffy said she might swing by to check Portland out. I told Joyce that it has a pretty good art community so she’s using it as a business trip for her gallery. Sounds like a tax dodge to me, but whatever gets it done, I suppose.”

“Why would you send Buffy away from Sunnydale? Personal differences aside, the pair of you work very well together.”

“Because I don’t need her lectures about how I handle shit. Buffy’s squeaky clean compared to me. I don’t want to have to listen to her,” Neo returned simply. “We butt heads far too much to ever really get along for the few months it’ll take to get Sunnydale clean.”

Quentin sighed. He couldn’t really see a problem with what the girl proposed. Sunnydale was a hotspot of epic proportions. Normally the slayers were traveling warriors. They moved from place to place handling the supernatural threats. Thanks to Alexia and her new-world modern approach to the whole situation, they had a network that was beyond even Quentin’s imagination. “I know what you and the girls have done in Portland is nothing short of miraculous, but Sunnydale is on another level entirely. An active and _powerful_ Hellmouth is going to attract-,”

“That’s precisely the point,” Neo interrupted him. “You know me. You know what I’m like with downtime. I don’t do well. From the way you and Buffy paint it, in Sunnydale, there ain’t gonna be any.”

“Nowhere near enough for Buffy’s liking if Rupert’s reports are anything to go on.”

“And that’s exactly what I need. More to the point, that’s exactly what I _want_. I need to run my wolf for a while. Since I been back on the clock after you guys rebuilt me, I need the challenge. That and Rain needs to get in the shit. One or two vamps here and there isn’t the kind of training she needs.”

“Don’t push her too hard, Neo. The girl’s only been on the roster for five months and change. She isn’t you.”

“Not _yet,_ ” Neo returned, grinning.

“I find that statement equal parts exhilarating and horrifying,” Quentin said, sternly. “The last thing this outfit needs is another _you_.”

“Yeah, don’t worry about it. Girl’s got her own identity. She’s not mimicking me. Except maybe between the sheets. Girl’s a fuckin’ maniac under the covers,” Neo said to him.

“And on _that_ note…” he said, shaking his head. “It sounds like you have everything in hand. If Miss Summers and her mother would like to take a break from the madness for a while, I suppose I can’t blame them. I trust you and your colleagues. If you believe you can handle the Hellmouth, then I’ll let it sit with you. If you need any assistance don’t hesitate to reach out.”

“Thanks, Q. Knowing you trust us to keep shit in check actually means a lot to me,” Neo said to him.

“I’ve become curious about something since your injury and rehabilitation.”

“You can ask me anything, you know that,” she said to him.

“Well…not so long ago, you wanted nothing to do with the Watcher’s Council. Now-,”

“I told Joyce yesterday that I’m a hard girl to know and an even harder girl to actually _like_. If not for being good at what I do, I wouldn’t have any friends. I’d be alone.” Neo wiped her eyes. “When I got fucked up, you and yours really didn’t owe me a damn thing.”

“You’re a potential slayer, Neo.”

“Exactly. You got five slayers on the roster right now. When I got benched, you could have just cut your losses and left me to rot. It wouldn’t have cost you shit or taken any effort. I was as surprised as it gets when Phil showed up and whisked me away to London.” She let out a soft sob. “I was a broken weapon, Q. A cheap ass machete with a busted blade. And given how many swords you had in your collection and how priceless _they_ are, I didn’t expect you to waste time fixing my ass. I’m a dime a dozen. But you did. You lit the forge, pulled out the hammer and start putting me back together.” She angrily wiped her eyes. “You didn’t fuckin’ give up on me. Even when I had given up on myself.”

“You’re wrong, Neo,” Quentin said to her. His tone was soft and comforting. Something none of his other slayers or potentials had ever heard. “Yes, my sword collection is quite impressive. But where the other slayers and potentials are pristine and priceless blades…I only have one war hammer, and I’ll be damned if I was going to lose her. And I knew for a fact that you weren’t broken. Blemished, maybe, but never, _ever_ broken. Not you. Not Neo Knight. You’ll always fight back. You may falter, but you will never fall. I knew that. I just needed you to understand it.” He smiled. “In the warrior’s code, there’s no surrender…” He let the statement hang, knowing full well she’d get the reference.

Neo smiled. “Though his body says stop, his spirit cries _never_.” She offered back. “Because you saw that in me. Because you took the steps to _care_ , I’ll be yours until I’m dead. You need an enforcer, you need a pipe-hitter or you need someone to just sit on the other end of the phone and shoot the shit, I’m here. I’ll be whatever you need whenever you need it, Quentin. I owe what I am now to what you did for me. How long did it take you before you threw that cast in the trash?” She asked off hand.

He smiled brightly. “As a matter of fact, I have it in a glass case hanging on the wall,” he said, proudly. “It is an inspiration.”

Neo was overjoyed to hear that. “That’s pretty cool.”

“What you do is a credit to potentials and slayers everywhere,” he said to her. “Good luck in Sunnydale. If anyone can whip the town into shape, it’s you.”

“I promise I will or die trying.”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” he returned.

“I’ll do my best. Have a good night, Quentin.”

“You as well, Neo.” He said before ending the call.

Neo stuffed her phone in her pocket and dropped her arms to the edge of the hotel. She heard the footsteps on the roof and turned to see the large form of Angel moving up to her. “Figured you’d be quieter.”

“I wasn’t trying to be quiet. Sneaking up on you is a good way to get killed,” Angel said, doing his best to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

“Thanks for letting us invade your bubble. I know you don’t really care for the lot of us.” Neo said to him.

“Actually, I don’t mind most of you. Xander and I aren’t exactly best buds, but I respect him.” He stood beside her, staring out at the city.

Neo chuckled. “So it’s just me you don’t like.” He didn’t respond. “That’s alright. I can’t blame you.” She sighed and shook her head. “I’m sorry.”

He turned to look at her. “For what?”

“When we came through town last time, I said some things.” She rose to her full height and looked at him, more or less, in the eye. “I accused you of being Bush League. How you handle your business has nothing to do with me.”

“There’s a lot about Los Angeles you don’t know. And there’s a lot about _me_ you don’t know.”

She sat on the edge of the building. “You’re half right. And my shit was out of line. I know I’m one of the best there is at what we do.” She looked him in the eyes. “Say what you want about me and my fucked up mental state, even you gotta admit that.” He gave a nod. “And yeah, I get far, _far_ more brutal than absolutely necessary. I’ll cop to that. And I admit the reason is that I’m sick in the fuckin’ head. I’m mentally damaged. I _like_ hurting people. I _like_ killing.” She sighed heavily. “I’m not a good person. I get the urge to rip people apart all the time. The only thing keeping me from being a serial killer is the fact that _my_ victims aren’t human.”

“Most of the time,” Angel said. He didn’t have to say it, but he just couldn’t help himself.

“Most of the time,” Neo agreed. “Believe this or not, but of all of the people I’ve killed none of them, _not one_ has ever been innocent.” She put her hand up to forestall him. “I know what you’re going to say. It’s not my place to mete out that kind of justice and all that crap. And you know what, you’re probably right. But the fact is the people that buy it at my hands are people that were willing, for one reason or another, to take a life. The way I see it, and frankly, despite what they may say to your face, the way _most_ people see it, if you’re willing to take a life, you better be willing to lose yours.” She sighed and looked at him. “Rambo said it best; we’re like animals. It’s in the blood. It’s natural. Peace? That’s an accident. It’s what is. When you’re pushed, killing’s as easy as breathing.”

Angel stared at her. “And you really believe that?”

Neo shrugged. “Yeah, I do. And despite how righteous you wanna act, you do too. I’ve only been in the shit for the past seven years. You’ve been in it a whole lot longer. You’ve watched good men die for nothing and evil men succeed because they were willing to do _anything_ to get ahead.”

“But the world doesn’t have to be like that,” Angel said to her. “ _We_ don’t have to be like that.”

“No, we don’t. But we are.” Neo said to him. “You’re an evil as hell vampire cursed to feel like shit because of everything you’ve done. That, more or less, makes you a good man.” She reached out and tapped his chest. “But the demon you carry in here? That’s the same monster I got. Difference being, I don’t have a soul to temper my shit. I’m an evil woman doing evil shit, Angel. The only thing, _the only thing_ that makes me a good guy is that I’m willing to do evil shit to other evil monsters.”

“When you were leaving LA last time, I told Cordy that you reminded me too much of Angelus.”

Neo crossed her arms and stared at him. She cocked her head. “I read everything about you the Watcher’s Council could cobble together. And I mean _everything_. There’s isn’t anything about you I don’t know.” She could see he wasn’t necessarily surprised by that. He wasn’t exactly secretive about who and how he killed. “I actually patterned a lot of what I do off of you back then. You, Darla, Drusilla, and Spike. The four of you were the most terrifying group in Europe. Even other vampires were afraid of you.” She pointed to herself. “And now, everything is afraid of me. Because I drew inspiration from you.” She held her arms out wide. “Congratulations Angel. You made me the woman I am today.”

He glared at her. “Is that supposed to be funny?”

She chuckled and again crossed her arms turning to the panorama. “It was a little funny.”

“Did you really get inspired by Angelus?” he asked her.

“You and Spike, yeah.” Neo lowered her head and chuckled. “Funny thing. I met Spike a while back. Lexi, Kat and Faith picked me up in Portland and we had a party in Sunnydale. I met Spike.” She tapped her head. “He’s got some bullshit chip in his head won’t let him hurt humans. Not sure how that shit works, but there it is.”

“Won’t stop you from killing him if you have the chance, will it?” Angel asked.

“Nope,” Neo said, shaking her head. “Just because he can’t cause physical damage doesn’t mean he can’t play mind games.” She looked directly at him. “And you, more than anyone, know how damaging that shit can be.”

He had to admit, she had a point. Buffy had shared that since he hadn’t been allowed to harm humans, he’d actually on more than one occasion, been a huge help to the group. He constantly strolled around Sunnydale looking for demons and other vampires to fight. But the fact was, Spike, like Neo, was not a good person. And yes, he was smart enough to play mind games. Angel had seen this firsthand. He wasn’t sure what to say to that, so he said nothing. “Just be careful around him. You can’t trust him.”

Neo nodded. “I know. But I’m not just gonna start staking. A few months ago, maybe. But I’d got a bit of a cooler head. I’ll see which way he comes down before I decide what to do with him. If he keeps his shit clean, I might just leave him alone.”

Angel sighed and lowered his eyes. “You’re right. I don’t like you. And maybe you’re right. Maybe Angel Investigations is Bush League, but-,”

“Nah. You guys aren’t,” Neo interrupted him. “I said that and maybe at the time I meant it, but truth is you lot are ass deep in alligators down here. This city has six times the population of Portland does. And you’ve only been doing shit here for a year.” She thumbed toward the Wolfram and Hart building. “And we don’t have a world-spanning evil as shit law firm gunning for us, either. So no, you’re not Bush League. You’re the real deal, just like we are. You guys got a lot on your plate. You’re handling your business. That’s all you have to do. I figure it would take the girls and I about five, maybe six years to clean this shit up. So you’re doing just fine.”

He couldn’t help but smile. “Despite what you wanna believe, I think you genuinely have a good heart.”

“Hey, shut your mouth, buddy,” Neo said, glaring. “Don’t let that shit get out. I gotta fuckin’ rep to maintain.”

“I’d like to say you’re only seventeen, you don’t have a rep yet,” Angel said to her.

“We both know that’s bullshit.”

“Come on. Cordy made her world famous call to the Chinese place down the road,” Angel said, motioning her to follow.

Neo stayed where she was a moment. “Can I ask you a question? Feel free to tell me to fuck off if I cross a line.” Angel turned to look at her. “When you lost your soul after you spent the night with Buffy. Was it the sex that made you lose it?”

He chuckled and shook his head. “No. I’m sure a lot of people thought that, but it wasn’t the sex.”

“Yeah, I didn’t figure. She doesn’t look like the type to be that good in bed.” Neo said, grinning.

“Pervert,” he said, smirking. “And she’s better than you think.” He sighed and rubbed his face roughly in his hands. “Why am I telling _you_ this?”

“If it wasn’t the pussy, then what was it?” she asked, moving closer.

He sighed heavily. “It was the trust. She trusted me enough to make love to me, then fall asleep next to me. At that moment, it was complete trust.” He shook his head. “It was love. Despite knowing what I was, she loved me. A moment of complete happiness.”

Neo stared at him, her eyes wide. “Those gypsies are so beyond fucked up. You give a vampire, a creature that lives, eats and breathes on nothing but the pleasure principle, a soul that can be lost in a moment of perfect happiness? That’s got to be the stupidest fucking thing I’ve ever heard.”

“The soul they gave me was as repentant as it gets,” Angel offered.

“Souls change. People change. How did they know that the demon in you couldn’t corrupt the shit out of the soul they gave you?” She shook her head. “Maybe it’s a good thing that whole clan is fuckin’ dead. Bunch of murdering assholes. Fuckin’ worse than Angelus.”

“No, they weren’t,” Angel said, sharply.

“Really?” Neo stood in front of him, arms akimbo. “Think about it. They curse you with a soul. _That’s_ fine. But then they, for reasons that completely escape me, put in an out clause that could cause _you_ , the fucking terror of Europe, to come unglued if you find your happy place. Now, call me crazy, but doing something like that takes a special kind of stupid. Because curses, by and large, are to the death or to the pain. There’s no ‘to the happy’ that I’ve ever fucking heard of. They had to specifically craft your curse with the _intention_ of you losing your soul. That’s like…handing a psychopath a shotgun with no shells in it. It might not be loaded, but it’s still there. And shells are cheap as fuck.” She groaned. “It’s _their_ fault you went on a rampage in the first fucking place. Yeah, Buffy dropped the ball not stopping you when she had the chance, but it’s those dumbass gypsies that put you both in that situation in the first fuckin’ place.”

Angel narrowed his eyes. “You really think Buffy dropped the ball?”

“Well yeah,” Neo said. “She let the beast out, it was her responsibility to stop you.”

“Could you? Could you take out any of your girls if you had to?” He asked her.

“In a New York minute,” Neo said to him. “Because unlike most people, love doesn’t blind me to the danger. If anyone, even Cerri were turned and got her evil on, I’d put a stake through her chest without hesitation.” He was going to say something. “Because I wouldn’t be killing Cerridwen. I’d be killing the demon that decided to steal her body after it died. I’d be slaughtering another thief. Cerridwen would have been dead for over a day by the time I found her. But rest assured, there would be no quarter for the motherfucker that turned her. I’d probably lose my mind for a while, but I’d do it. It’s the same with me. _Especially_ with me. If I get turned, I have to be dealt with as quickly as possible. Because if I get started, I won’t stop. I’d be the most dangerous vampire ever to walk the Earth.” She could see Angel start to scoff. “Yeah, I’d make Angelus look like a Campfire Girl. Right now, I have a modicum of conscience. As you said, I have a good heart. And the shit I do _still_ terrifies vampires and demons. Imagine what my ass would be like without what little control I _do_ have.”

Angel couldn’t argue that. So he didn’t try. “Why did you wanna know, anyway?” He decided to change the subject.

“Because Cordy’s showing serious interest in you. I’m not sure how quick on the uptake you are,” Neo said, sincerely. “It’s not a dig. I’m not sure you’ve noticed and think you should start paying attention.”

“I doubt that she’s-”

“Just watch her,” Neo said, shrugging. “Just observe and you’ll see what I mean. She’s a hell of a catch. She’s smart, she’s fucking _hot_ , and she’s available. She had plans and, like the rest of you, the Powers that Be decided to fuck with that. Now it’s about taking what happiness you can, perfect or not.” She walked past and patted his shoulder. “Food for thought.” She said to him.


	70. Chapter 70

“So where are we staying at?” Neo asked as she drove along behind the wheel of the van.

“Warehouse near the tide flats,” Cerri said. “Three-month open-ended lease. Our names are on it, so it’ll count as a residence.”

“Perimeter?” Neo asked, looking at Talia sitting beside her in the passenger seat. The woman nodded.

“The twins said they can rig something up in about six hours. We’ve got ten till lights out, so we should be okay. It’s already got cameras. Guy gave me the feeds.”

“Alright. Sounds like a plan,” Neo said.

“And we’ve already got something on the books. Rite said she got a hit from a family that thinks they have a ghost in their house.” Cerri offered.

“Video?” Neo asked.

“Nanny cam shit,” Cerri returned. “Doors banging, pots, and pans rattling. But apparently, over the past couple of nights, their daughter has woken up with bloody scratches on her. It seems fairly serious.”

Neo grinned. “Nice. Get to bust out the ghost kit. Haven’t unearthed that shit in a while.”

“You gonna handle it?” Cerri asked.

“Given that I’m the only one that can’t be possessed, yeah,” Neo said to her. Talia looked at Neo with furled brows. Neo tapped the side of her head. “Ghosts don’t like crazy. Too unpredictable. That and they prey on fear. I don’t have any.”

“There are things you’re afraid of.” Rain offered from the back of the van.

“There’s nothing I’m afraid _of_ , but there are things I’m afraid _for_ ,” Neo said. She sighed and shook her head. “I hate having to explain this shit. It’s complicated as fuck. Okay, it’s like this. I don’t experience actual _fear_. I have partial amygdalae paralysis.” She looked at Talia. “You know what that is, right?”

“Part of the limbic system that governs emotions,” Talia said. “But that doesn’t make any sense. Because you fear for the safety of-”

“You just said it,” Neo said. “I fear _for_ the safety of you girls. It isn’t genuine terror. It’s concern. It’s worry. It’s fretting. It isn’t crippling fear.”

“That’s bullshit,” Rain said, her tone sharp. Neo looked at her in the rearview mirror. “When you were laying on that hospital bed in Utah, you were terrified, Neo.” Tears fell down her cheeks. “It nearly destroyed Talia and I, seeing how scared you were that you were done. You may not panic, you may not cry like a bitch, but you still get scared, Neo. You do feel _fear_. You just never, _ever_ let it control you.” She softened her expression. “You’re a rock, Neo. You’re the rock that all of us anchor ourselves to because we know you aren’t going anywhere.”

“See, there you go,” Neo said, smiling. She turned to Talia. “I’m rock. I happen to know ghosts don’t like rock. They dig on emo bullshit.” She turned back to the road. “I don’t do ballads.”

Rain couldn’t help but laugh. It was one of the many reasons she loved the girl so very much. She did, however, correct her girlfriend. “You do too do ballads. You sang Cinderella’s   _Nobody’s Fool_ at the wedding. _And_ you’ve covered Skid Row’s _I Remember You_. Ballads both.”

“ _Power_ ballads,” Neo said, holding a finger up. “Huge difference.”

“Fair point,” Rain said, shrugging.

“Besides, both those songs kick ass. That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it.” Neo offered.

“And we’ll back you up, even if they question us separately,” Talia said, patting the girl’s arm.

Neo grinned as she followed along behind the truck and trailer to the building the girls had been given. “This isn’t bad.” She said, nodding. It was surrounded by a seven-foot cyclone fence. “We need to get power out to this bitch and electrify it. Keep some of the lower echelon fuckers out.”

“It works back in Portland,” Talia said, nodding. “Looks like it’ll be rather spacious.”

Neo nodded as they pulled in through the fence. “It’ll do us for a couple of months.”

After negotiating the huge bay door, she drove the van inside and close to the rear wall. She climbed out along with Rain and Talia. “Sadiira, Nadiira; perimeter. Count it out.” She then thumbed the van. “Cerri? How do you wanna handle the setup?”

“Instead of putting together a huge command center, I’ll just run it through the van. It acts as its own hotspot, so I should be okay.”

“Get to it.” Neo looked at Quan. “Get the trailer set up over there. I want it away from the door in case shit.” The big girl nodded. “We really should have brought the Crown Vic.” She pointed to the Raptor. “That’s the only rig we have to drive around in.”

“We could see about picking something up in the meantime,” Rain said. “Hit craigslist for something cheap.”

Neo sighed and nodded. “Might have to. Cerri!”

“On it,” the girl said from the back of the van.

“Quan? You think all of our gear can fit in the back of the Raptor?” she asked as she moved over to the girl.

“Yeah. We’ve got a standing engagement at the Bronze every Friday night. It’s a small club, so we can streamline.”

“Alright.” Neo turned to Rain. “Tal and I are gonna go and pick up another rig. Start cutting the excess gear.”

Rain, being intimately familiar with the band’s setup nodded. She pulled Neo in and kissed her. “Have fun. Bring back food.”

“Will do, baby. Everyone cool with Mexican?” Neo shouted to the group. She received nods and thumbs up from all the girls. “Alright. We’re gonna check out whatever ride Cerri finds, bring back food then hit Giles’ place to get the sit-rep on the ground,”  she explained to Quan.

“Neo?” Cerri shouted.

The potential made her way over and leaned against the back of the van with her arms crossed. “Whaddaya got, half-pint?”

“Need some parameters. Car, truck, SUV or Van?”

“Seriously kiddo. Whatever’s cheapest. Decent performance, decent cargo and passenger space. Front page is fine,” Neo said to her. She hopped up into the back with Talia right behind her. She leaned down on the back of the chair. Talia draped an arm over her and her hand on the console. “Eesh. Slim pickin’s,” Neo said, shaking her head.

“I’ve sorted out dealers because their shit is usually as-is or they want too much for their crap,” Cerri said. “And I know we don’t wanna spend more than we have to. It’s only gotta last a few months.”

“Too bad we couldn’t borrow Joyce’s Jeep,” Talia said.

“She actually offered, believe it or not. I told her no and explained what happened in Victorville. Told her we didn’t wanna take the chance. It’s the same reason I shot down her offer of letting us stay at her place. No safe conduct.” Cerri said as she worked.

“Good lookin’ out,” Neo said, nodding. “Still feel bad for Sadiira’s rig. She loved that guitar.”

Talia patted her on the back. “It wasn’t your fault.”

Neo again nodded. “Still sucks, though.” She said, quietly. “Wait a minute. What’s that?” she asked, pointing to a particular entry.

Cerri brought it up. “Impala police car.”

“Hey, Quan! What kind of numbers did a 2006 Impala Police Special have?”

“Three-point-nine liter. About two hundred and forty horses at the rear wheel. Gearing gave it a zero to sixty in about eight seconds. Not a pursuit special, but it wasn’t bad. How much?”

“Guy wants twenty-eight hundred bucks. Got a hundred and eighty-two thousand miles on it.” Neo returned. “It’s clean as shit. Is it worth it?”

“I’d say so. You could probably talk him down a few hundred bucks. Offer him twenty five hundred, he’ll go for it.” Quan shouted back. “I can even tweak it a little bit and get another twenty, thirty horses out of it if you want.”

Neo nodded. “Give the guy a call, Cerri. Let him know we’re interested.”

The girl nodded back and put her headset on. Neo looked at the pictures of the car over. “It’s kinda nice lookin’ I’m not gonna lie.”

“It’s got a look. Almost villainous,” Talia said, smiling. “Fits you to a tee. But I thought you hated ex-police cruisers.”

Neo rose and crossed her arms. “I don’t know. I guess they’re growing on me,” she said, shrugging. “Besides, all of the ones we’ve actually bought have worked out pretty well. The two we had in Scipio took a hell of a beating before they gave up.”

“That they did,” Talia said. She looked down as Cerridwen jotted an address down on a piece of paper.

“Here. It’s about a half mile from here,” Cerri said, ripping the paper off her pad. “Good luck. The guy said he’d let it go for twenty-four.”

“Let’s roll, sexy,” Neo said, tapping Talia on the stomach as she walked past. “Thanks, Cerri.”

“You got it, boss,” the girl said, going back to work.

 

An hour later, Neo sat behind the wheel of the Impala cruising along the main thoroughfare. “Gotta admit, when Quan gave me this thing’s stats, I really did expect it to be sort of gutless.” She put her foot down. The car shot forward. “But she’s got plenty of pep.”

“Quite,” Talia said, nodding. “The interior is nice as well. I’m still sort of wondering why he wanted so little for it.”

“Well, I’m not the car junky Quan is, but I can recognize a lemon when I see one. There really weren’t any major problems. Little bit of an oil leak, a tiny bit of transmission slippage and might need a good solid tune-up, but nothing you wouldn’t expect from a rig with nearly two hundred thousand miles on it.” Neo shook her head. “Can’t really see any problems. I figure Quan will pick up the parts and have this son of a bitch overhauled in a couple of days.”

Talia sighed and leaned back in her seat. “This is a rather nice town, to be honest.”

Neo flicked her eyes about. “It’s got its charm.”

“A thriving vampire population being one of them?” Talia asked, looking at her charge.

Neo shrugged. “It’s not just that. It’s just…” She pointed to the sidewalk. “Look at that. Right there.” Talia followed her eyes. “Open air diner. I mean I’m sure they close their doors at sunset, but still.” She rested her hand back on the wheel. “This town, despite knowing or suspecting bad shit is creeping around in the dark, they don’t let that shit get them down. These people are some hearty motherfuckers. They live their lives in spite of the dark, you know? You gotta respect that.”

“Perhaps Buffy is making more of an impact than you thought?” Talia asked.

“I’ve had Cerri crunch the numbers. If you follow the statistics, she hasn’t made that much of a difference. But if you look around,” she again motioned about with her hand. “You see what the numbers _don’t_ tell you.”

“Well, she did earn that ‘Class Protector’ award at graduation last year. It’s obvious she’s made enough of an impact for the students of the high school to notice.” Talia reminded her.

Neo chuckled. “Buffy does this for three years and gets a Class Protector award from Sunnydale High School. The girls and I did this for two years and got Spirit of Portland awards for the difference we made.”

“Given to you by the Mayor, no doubt,” Talia said. As Neo nodded, the elder woman continued. “That’s because you didn’t have a mayor secretly plotting against you.”

Neo gave a nod. “That’s true.” She sighed and shook her head. “Fuck am I sad we missed that. _That_ had to have been one _hell_ of a party.”

Talia giggled. “Only you would consider a giant snake demon and vampire onslaught a party.”

“Oh, it isn’t just me. So would Faith and Steele,” Neo corrected. “Oh, here we go,” she said, pulling into the Mexican food restaurant. “Let’s get some food for the girls.” She stepped inside and ordered for the entire group. She kept it simple with an array of shredded beef enchiladas, beef tamales, a large number of ground beef burritos and plenty of beans and rice. Without asking, she also ordered a pair of taco salads for Talia and Rain.

Talia, for her part reached over, taking Neo’s hand and giving it a squeeze. The potential turned and looked at her. “I know I don’t consider your feelings as much as I should, Tal. But I’m tryin’.” She said, softly. She received a bright smile for her kind words and affectionate sentiment.

Talia leaned in and kissed her on the lips. “Thank you.” She said, happily.

The pair carried their huge amount of food out to the car and were off, heading back to the warehouse. The girls all sat about in the trailer, eating dinner. Rain was happy to receive the taco salad and thanked Neo for her thoughtfulness. “I’ve got the camera feeds up and running,” Cerri said to her. “We’ve got eyes everywhere.”

Neo nodded. She looked to Rain. “Did you get our gear broke down?”

“Yeah. We traveled pretty light for the wedding, so it wasn’t that hard, really,” the girl returned.

“Cool beans.” She turned to the twins. “How’s the perimeter look?”

“We need a few things if we’re gonna electrify the fence. But whoever owned this place before knew what was what. It’s set up for it. And the building itself is pretty sturdy. It won’t withstand a prolonged siege like our place, but it should give enough time to pack up and hit the bricks,” Sadiira offered.

“Good deal. After dinner, we gotta meet up with Giles and Willow.” Neo looked around the table. “Who’s comin’ with?”

“I should,” Talia said.

Neo nodded and looked to Cerri. “What about you, short stack? Did you wanna touch base with Willow and get your tech shit figured out?”

“Take the Raptor.” Quan said. “I’m gonna give the Impala a tune-up. I bought the shit while you were out.”

Neo looked at her. “ _Just_ a tune-up. I know you, Quan. You’ll rip the fuckin’ motor out and start rebuilding that shit if I don’t lay down some ground rules.”

The big girl didn’t argue. “Just a tune-up, I promise. _But_ the motor does need work. It was knockin’ pretty bad when you pulled in.”

“How long will that take you?” Neo asked her.

“It’s a V-6. I could have it done in one, maybe two days with what I have. I don’t have an engine hoist or anything, so I’d have to shade-tree it.”

“How much would everything you need cost?” Neo asked.

“They’ve got a pretty nice speed shop here in town,” Quan said. “I can rent a hoist and stand for about two hundred bucks. I’ve got the rest of the tools in the truck.”

“Fine. But let’s wait until after I get that ghost problem solved,” Neo said to her. The larger fighter nodded.

 

Neo pulled to a stop in front of the townhouses. The large gray van sat looking menacing with its huge knobby tires, heavy matte black push bumper, and tinted windows.  “That’s the van that Kat, Willow and I put together for her,” Neo said, pointing.

“It’s huge,” Rain said, looking the rig over.

Cerri moved over and look at it. She climbed onto the push bumper and looked at the inside. She then dropped to the concrete. “Mine’s better.” She said, smugly.

Neo moved over and lifted the girl up and set her on her shoulders, earning a surprised chirp from the little drummer. “You think I’d let anything of yours play second fiddle?” she asked the girl.

“Nope,” Cerri said, happily.

The group made their way to the door. Neo knocked lightly and lifted Cerri up, putting back onto the ground. “You’re puttin’ on some pounds, pipsqueak.”

Most girls would find it insulting, but Cerri knew full well how Neo meant it. She’d been working out far more than she used to. Watching the videos of what Neo was going through in England prompted her to take her training far more seriously. She’d always been in shape, but now she’d taken it a step further. She was tired of being a detriment to her teammates. And it was paying off. She actually had muscle tone and wasn’t just skinny. “One twenty even,” Cerri said, happily.

“Christ. You weigh almost as much as Buffy,” Neo said as the door opened. “Hey, Giles,” she said, smiling at him.

“Neo,” he said, stepping aside. “Ladies.” He nodded to the group as they entered. “Where’s everyone else?”

“Quan’s working on the new car we picked up and the twins are…doing whatever it is they do when they’re not shooting things,” Cerri offered. “Two and a half years and I’m still not sure. This is Rain and Talia.” She motioned to the pair of new arrivals. “Rain’s a potential and Talia is our Watcher.”

Giles took the girl’s hand and pecked the back of it. “It’s a genuine pleasure to meet you, Rain.”

“Likewise,” she said, blushing.

“Talia,” Giles said, turning the woman. “How long has it been?” he asked, taking her hand and as well.

“Eight years,” she said. “Not since I was assigned.”

“You’re looking well,” he offered.

“As are you,” she returned.

“The redhead in the chair is Willow and the waif on her lap is Jerri with an _I_ ,” Neo said, pointing to the pair.

Willow frowned at Neo’s introduction, but Jerri giggled. She turned to her girlfriend. She could see the redhead was upset by Neo’s words. She leaned down and pecked Willow on her lips. “It’s alright. I don’t mind.”

“Yeah, buck up, Red. I’m not baggin’ on her.” Neo said as she made her way into the kitchen. She pulled the fridge open and raised an eyebrow. “Christ,” she said, taking out four cans of diet Coke. “At least it’s caffeinated.” She went to the living room and began handing out sodas.

“Good lord, Neo,” Talia said, shaking her head and taking one of the libations. “At least ask first.” She then looked at Giles. “You’ll have to forgive Neo. She’s not exactly up on her etiquette.”

Giles gave her a dismissive smile. “It’s alright,” he said, shaking his head.

Neo looked at the pair of Watchers. “No, she’s right.” She looked at Giles. “Sorry. You don’t walk into a man’s house and just make yourself at home without an invite.”

He patted her shoulder. “Apology accepted. Think no more on it.”

She nodded, before dropping down onto the middle of the sofa. Rain and Talia took seats beside her and Cerri sat on her lap. “So did Quentin get a hold of you?”

“He did. You’re going to be here for two months at least and are going to do everything you can to quell the vampire and demon pop-,” He stopped as she began snorting. “What’s so funny?”

“Quell the vampire and demon population,” Neo said. “Sorry.”

“Our band is named Demon Queller,” Cerri said. She turned to Neo. “Grow up.”

“Just out of curiosity, how did you come up with that name?” Giles asked.

“Rifts World Book 8; New Japan,” Jerri said, off hand.

Cerri snorted and looked at the girl. Neo, however, set them straight. “No, actually. I named our band after the Chinese Tang-era God, Shoki. He was known as the Demon Queller.”

Talia looked at her. “I didn’t know that,” she said, her brow furrowed.

Neo shrugged. “You never asked.”

“She’s got a point. I personally thought it was because Demon Queller sounded cool and looked good on a t-shirt,” Rain said.

“That is pretty deep for you,” Willow said. “I’d have never suspected.”

“Yeah, I can be an intelligent cunt,” Neo offered, smiling.

“Getting back on topic, Quentin said I was to help you in any way I can.” He looked to Talia. “Given how gifted a Watcher you currently have, I don’t know how much help I can be.”

“You know this town and its history a lot better than we do. Having you on standby will cut down on the time spent playing catch-up.” Neo looked to Willow. “I want you and Cerri to get together and network the tech. Take her out to your war wagon and let her jack in. We can collaborate and you can direct us on where the hotspots are.” She turned back to Giles. “I’m gonna make an assumption – and correct me if I’m mistaken here – that she’s clocked more field time?” She made it a question.

“Willow does patrol with Buffy more frequently,” Giles admitted. “Normally I just… look stuff up.”

“Hey, don’t knock your role, pal,” Neo said to him. “Knowing the score makes the difference between coming home with your shield or on it.”

Giles wasn’t sure why, but coming from someone like Neo, that actually did make him feel a bit better.

Neo then looked at Jerri. “So what exactly is it you do?”

“I’m Willow’s girlfriend,” Jerri said. “I wish I had a loftier purpose than that, but that’s pretty much it. I can’t fight and suck at research. _But_ I do know how to cook and I’m good at sharpening swords, knives, and stakes.”

Neo shrugged. “Well, at least you’re useful. You training at all?”

“Yeah, I’m not so good with the-” She made a really odd punching motion.

“Swimming?” Rain asked her.

“Violence,” Jerri said. “But Willow doesn’t need me to be a fighter.” She looked at the redhead. “Do you, baby?”

“Nope,” Willow said, kissing her. “Besides, she carries pepper spray and a stun gun.”

“Good girl,” Cerri said, nodding. “That’s what I do.”

“It works, believe me. Vampires hate that shit.”

“You should see the shit Ashley carries. Jesus fucking Christ.” Neo said, shaking her head. “Eleven SHU’s.”

Jerri nodded. “No shit? That’s hardcore. Mine’s only six.”

“I’ll get in touch with Rite. See about hookin’ you up,” Neo said to her. She looked at her Watch. “I’ve gotta go and talk to a family on the north end about a ghost.”

“We’ll get together tomorrow?” Cerri asked Willow. The redhead nodded.

“I’ll stay and get brought up to speed on the Hellmouth,” Talia looked at Giles. “If that’s alright with you?”

“Absolutely.” He said, nodding.

Neo leaned into Talia. “Just don’t break him,” she said, patting the woman’s shoulder.

Talia turned and looked at Neo with a hurt expression. “That wasn’t funny.”

Neo drew back. “Wasn’t trying to be. Just sayin’ if one thing leads to another, you don’t have to sweat makin’ me or Rain mad.”

Talia sighed and stared at Neo. “You’re so understanding it scares me sometimes.”

“He’s a good lookin’ dude. I’d hit it,” Neo said to her. “So would she.” She thumbed toward Rain. The girl gave a nod.

“Go away now,” Talia said, kissing the pair. “Have a good night.”

“You, too.” Neo looked at Giles. “You make sure she gets home okay?”

“I um…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m sort of without transportation at the moment.”

“You got that big ass fuckin’ van out there, don’t you?” she asked him.

“I suppose you have a point. I just don’t drive it much,” he returned.

“You are tonight,” Rain said. She looked at Talia. “Unless you’re bunking over,” she added with a grin.

“Gone. Both of you,” Talia said, shooing them out the door.

“Wait for me,” Cerri said. “It was nice seeing you all again.” She looked to Willow. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Bye,” Willow said, waving at her.

Talia watched the door close and turned back to Giles. “Pardon her bluntness.”

“I spend all my time around teenagers. I’m used to it.” He said, smiling.

“Come on,” Willow said as she patted Jerri’s arm. “Let’s go. Give them some privacy.”

Talia groaned and buried her face in her hands. She felt Giles arms slide around her waist and pull her in for a hug. “It’s alright,” he said, softly. “I’ll be gentle.” He couldn’t hide his bemused smirk. He chuckled at her whimper of defeat.


	71. Chapter 71

Neo pulled up to the house in question. It was a modest three-bedroom, two-story bungalow much like the one Buffy and her mother occupied. “Looks peaceful enough.” Rain offered from her place in the passenger seat.

“Yeah. Then comes the running and the screaming,” Neo said as she turned the car off.

“Is it really that bad?” Rain asked her.

“You ever dealt with a ghost?” 

“I’ve never even _seen_ a ghost.” Rain returned. “I mean I’ve seen Ghost Hunters and stuff like that.”

“Yeah, that’s some really innocent shit.” Neo shook her head. “Depending on what type of haunting we’re dealing with, it can get pretty brutal. You ever see the movie Poltergeist?” At Rain’s nod, Neo chuckled. “Worse.”

“Jesus Christ,” Rain said, fearful.

“But it’s rare. Most of the time it’s just some punk-ass poltergeist that doesn’t wanna give up his shit.” She climbed out of the car and moved to the trunk. “That’s where I come in. I get the motherfucker to leave the family alone.”

“How hard is it?” Rain asked her.

“Really depends,” Neo said as she went through the large duffel she had in the boot. “Ghosts are probably the most enigmatic things we deal with. Lotta variables. What type of ghost, circumstances of the haunting, what’s causing them to act up, what they’re attached to, shit like that. You gotta answer all those questions before you can get into how to get rid of them. And that’s not counting if the ghost is being controlled by something else.”

“What do you mean ‘controlled by something else’?”

“Certain demon lords have power over the dead. Usually, they like to raise zombies and ghouls and shit, but every so often one will get bored and fuck with a place that has some sort of tragedy in its history. Places like that are rife for demon-hauntings.”

Rain looked up at the house. “Does this place have anything-?”

“Triple homicide-suicide in 1984.” Neo offered. “Mother of two moved in from the Czech Republic. Word has it she was fleeing an abusive relationship and came to the states. She ended up going off the deep end and blew both of her kids’ brains out with a .38 revolver before eating a bullet. Apparently, she didn’t want her husband taking her girls away. Scene was cleaned up and the house was listed three months later. From what Cerri dug up, there’ve been a few hit-or-miss sightings and shit ever since. But this is the first time anything has gotten out of hand.” She pulled a backpack up onto her shoulder and slammed the deck lid. “Come on. Let’s go save the day.” Neo walked up to the porch with Rain beside her. She reached over and hit the doorbell. A moment later, a man in his mid-forties answered.

He was average as could be. Dark brown hair in a business cut with black-rimmed glasses over pale brown eyes. He had a narrow face with a slightly upturned nose. He wore a pale blue button-down shirt and a pair of black slacks. “Can I help you?” He asked her. The first girl to catch his eye was _big_ and incredibly intimidating. She was a little taller than him with broad shoulders, muscular arms and a serious set of eyes. Her attire consisted of a black tank top and a pair of black cargo pants and boots. The young lady behind her was the most normal and unassuming girl he’d ever seen. Her hair was shoulder-length, dark brown and sat just so as to make her look blaringly _average_. Her eyes were plain brown and seemed to be almost vacant, yet he could see them constantly moving. It was obvious she was taking in absolutely everything around her.

“I’m Neo and this is Rain.” The larger of the two said, offering her hand. “We’re here to take care of your ghost problem.”

He brightened immediately. “You’re from the website?” He asked, taking her hand. As Neo nodded, he sighed heavily. “Thank God.” He stepped aside but didn’t invite her in.

Neo entered the house with Rain right behind her. The younger potential immediately shuddered. “Why’s it so cold in here?” She asked.

Neo turned and looked at her. “You’re cold?”

“It’s not so bad, now. But when we walked in it felt like an air conditioner blew straight on my back.” Rain said to her.

Neo stared a second, then looked around the room. “Huh,” she said, smiling. “Nice.” She looked at him. “So you’re Brendan, right?” she asked him.

“Brendan Holt.” He then motioned to the rather attractive blonde woman and cute as a button little sandy blonde haired girl standing near the entrance to the dining room. “This is Rebecca, my wife, and Kaitlin, our daughter.”

Neo nodded. “’Sup,” she said, moving over to sit in the easy chair. “Alright. Let’s have a seat and tell me what’s been goin’ down?” She looked over at Rain. “Keep your shit open. Sounds like you can feel when shit’s about to go down.”

“Excuse me, Miss Neo?” Rebecca asked, her voice nervous.

“Just Neo.”

“Neo, Could you, um, could you please not swear? I know my daughter hears it on television and at school but I’m trying really hard to-”

Neo put up a hand and shook her head. “It’s cool. Don’t need to explain it. Your house, your rules. I’ll do my best to curb it. No promises, but I’ll make the effort.” She looked to the little girl and winked at her. “So tell me what you’ve got going on. When did it start and how?”

“We moved into the house about two years ago,” Brendan began. “Kaitlin celebrated her fifth birthday just after we moved in.”

Neo looked at her. “So you’re seven, tiny?” The girl nodded. “Cool.” She looked back to Brendan. “Continue.”

“Maybe, two, two and a half months later, we started hearing noises. At first, it was just odd creaks and little knocks. Something that could easily be mistaken for the house settling, pipes banging. We mostly ignored it. Six months of that got us sort of used to it, you know?”

“That’s usually how it starts,” Neo said. “Trying to get your attention. What happened next?”

“Not much, really,” Rebecca offered. “Doors we thought we’d closed were left open. Cabinets and drawers. Nothing menacing, just strange. That went on for almost a year.”

Brendan let out a shaking breath. “Then things got a lot worse.” He shuddered fearfully. “Things started getting violent. We’d be watching TV and the doors upstairs would slam so hard the house would shake.” He rested a hand on Kaitlin’s shoulder. “She’d wake up screaming that there was someone in her room.”

“You’d go up and find nothing, am I right?” Neo asked him. As he nodded, Neo looked at Kaitlin. “Can you remember what the person looked like?”

“A woman,” the little girl offered. “Her eyes are really wide. She looks like she’s mad at me.” The girl sniffed and began crying. “She keeps pointing at me and yelling, but I can’t hear what she’s saying. That’s when daddy comes in and she goes away.”

“Can you see her face?” Neo asked the girl.

“You believe me?” The little girl asked her.

“Yes, sweetie, I do,” Neo said to her. “I believe you because _I’ve_ seen ghosts, too. I’ve also kicked the sh-,” She looked Rebecca. “I’ve kicked the stuffing out of ghosts, too.”

Kaitlin smiled at her. “She looks like…her skin is really dark. It’s like she’s made of blackness. Like her skin is colored with a black crayon. All I can see are eyes. Black with white around them.”

Neo nodded. “And she attacked you?”

Kaitlin nodded in return. She pointed to the two red lines along her face. “She got really mad at me last night and scratched me.”

Neo looked to her folks. “She came running into our room. She had these scratches on her face. She said the thing in her room hit her. She was bleeding. She doesn’t have anything in her room that could do it and she doesn’t have nails sharp enough,” Rebecca said, hugging her daughter.

Neo turned back to the little girl. “Have you seen anyone else?”

“There are two little girls that hide in the attic,” Kaitlin said.

“We hear her up there all the time talking to someone. We’ve never heard anyone talk back. She’s always had an active imagination,” Rebecca said.

Neo stared at the parents and knew immediately that they really didn’t believe their daughter. But in all the years she’d been hunting the supernatural, she’d learned that children are the most accurate sources when it comes to the paranormal. They see practically everything and have no filter. She looked back to Kaitlin. “What can you tell me about the little girls?”

“Lana and Lucy,” Kaitlin said. “They’re nice. They like to play with me. But when it gets dark, they say they have to go. They say their mommy will get mad if she catches them playing with me.”

“What do they look like?” Neo asked her.

“They’re like mommy. They have really light hair. They look a lot alike. Even the holes they have right here,” she said, pointing to the side of her head. “I ask them if it hurts, but they say no.”

Neo turned to look at Rain. The girl nodded back to her.

“We have video of some of the things that have gone on,” Brendan said. “When the girl we talked to earlier today,” He looked to his wife. “Sara-wan?”

“Cerridwen,” Neo corrected. “She’s the brains of our outfit.”

“When we talked to her, she said you’d wanna see it.” He lifted the remote from the coffee table. A sudden loud bang sounded from upstairs. “That’s what we hear night after night.”

Neo looked upward. “I’ll deal with you in a few minutes! Until then shut the hell up!” The house grew silent. She shook her head and looked back to Brendan. “You were saying?”

He and his wife looked at her in awe. Kaitlin smiled brightly. He swallowed and turned the TV on and rolled the footage. Neo watched as several cameras showed the interior of the house. “Hand me that,” she said, pointing to the remote. He gave it to her. She got to her knees in front of the large TV and watched intently. She then paused and pointed. “What is that?” she asked, curiously.

Brendan and Rebecca both leaned forward. The shot was that of the living room and the stairs. Along the wall on the stairs was a tall thin shadow. It was pale but visible. “I don’t know.” He said, pulling his suddenly stricken wife in close. “We’ve never seen it before. I didn’t know I’d caught it.”

Neo looked at the shot again, then turned to the stairs. “Where is the light coming from in this shot?”

“There wouldn’t be any lights on,” Rebecca said. “We turn all the lights out when we go to bed.”

Neo moved up the stairs to stand where the shadow would be. “It’s standing right here.” She pointed across the room to the mirror. “Where did you get that mirror?”

“It was in the attic,” Rebecca said. “We found it when we moved in. There are all sorts of things up there.” 

Neo moved over to it and immediately began pulling it down.

“Be careful, it’s heavy,” Brendan said, biting his lip. “And it’s an antique.”

Neo took it down and moved over, setting it on the couch. She knelt and motioned Rain over. The girl came and crouched beside her. “What are you looking for?”

Neo pointed to a dark spot on the wood. “What does that look like to you?”

Rain stared intently at the spot she was pointing to. “I don’t know. To me, it looks like a spot of dark wood stain.”

“Or blood,” Neo said quietly to her. Rain’s face paled. Neo rose to her feet. “When did you hang this up?”

“A couple of months after we moved in,” Rebecca said to her.

Neo nodded. “Have you taken anything else out of the attic?” She crossed her arms. “Let me answer that for you. Yes. Yes, you have.” She began ticking off of her fingers. “You pulled that monstrosity down and hung it up two months after you moved in. About five, five and a half months after _that_ , you found something else really nice to put on display, didn’t you?”

Brendan and Rebecca looked at each other. “The grandfather clock in the den,” Brendan said. “I sent it away to have it fixed, then put in my study.”

Neo nodded. “And about six months ago, what did you bring down?”

Rebecca turned to her daughter in abject horror. “We refinished the old head and footboard of Kaitlin’s bed and put them in her room.” Her voice was shaking.

Kaitlin shook her head, immediately. “I don’t want my bed anymore, mama,” she said, throwing herself at her mother.

“We’ll get rid of it, sweetie.”

Neo shook her head. “It won’t matter, now.” She hung the mirror back up.

“Why wouldn’t it?” Rain asked. “If they get rid of what the ghost is connected to.”

“You’re dealing with a poltergeist, now. Bringing down the bed was just the catalyst,” Neo said. “Might as well hang onto it, now.”

“So what do we do, then?” Brendan asked.

“You do what you do every night,” Neo said. “I’m gonna get rid of your unwanted houseguest.” She could see Brendan looking at her curiously. “I’m gonna tell you how this works.” She shook her head. “We ain’t Ghost Adventures or Ghost Hunters. We don’t just come into your house with a camera crew and shoot video. That shit doesn’t help anyone. We _solve_ the problem. You have a poltergeist. I’m gonna get rid of it. But we’re gonna have to stay the night to do it.”

“No offense but,” Rebecca looked at her husband and her daughter. “How do we know we can trust you? Because no offense, neither of you look like ghost hunters.”

“Short answer?” Neo asked her. “You don’t. And nor should you. You should trust results. You should trust the safety of your family.” She pulled her wallet out of her pocket. She flipped open to her government ID. “But just the same, take a look. Feel free to call and verify if you want.”

“Honey, stop,” Brendan said. “These two came to help us. They don’t have any reason to lie.”

“With what we’re paying-” Rebecca began.

“It’s a flat rate, and results are guaranteed. Anyway, this goes down, that poltergeist is gonna be gone. If we gotta call in The Pope to exorcise this motherfucker, we will.” Neo stared at Rebecca. “Sorry.” She turned to Kaitlin. “You didn’t hear me say that.” The little girl smiled, shook her head and made a zipping motion across her lips. “Nice.” Rebecca nodded and let it go. “Point is, we don’t stop until the job is done. You kick out a little green to pay for the service. How long it takes and how much it costs beyond that is on us, not on you. We’ll never, _ever_ charge more than we agreed to.”

Rebecca sighed and turned to her husband. Brendan looked her in the eye and back to Neo. “So…how does this work?”

Neo looked at her watch. “It’s nine-oh-seven right now. What time do you normally go to bed?”

“Usually between ten and eleven,” Brendan said. “It’s already past Kaitlin’s bedtime.”

“Alright. I’ll come with you to put the tyke to bed.” Neo turned to Rain. “Why don’t you and Becky take a walkthrough of the house and let her give you the nickel tour?” She looked at the woman. “Give her a rundown of the hotspots and we’ll go from there.” The woman nodded and motioned Rain to follow her.

As the burly potential and Brendan moved upstairs with Kaitlin, Rebecca led Rain into the kitchen. “She’s a real go-getter, isn’t she?” The woman asked.

Rain nodded. “Been that way her whole life, from what I’ve been told.” She kept her eyes peeled and constantly moving.

“The website was sort of vague. How old is she?” Rebecca asked. “She doesn’t look that old.”

Rain looked at her. “Before I answer that, let me ask _you_ a question.” Rebecca nodded. “Are you one of those people that think someone young can’t possibly know what they’re doing?”

“Not really. Knowledge, as far as I’ve seen, doesn’t know any age.”

“Neo’s been-”

“Her ID said her name was Alice. Why does she call herself Neo?” Rebecca interrupted.

“Because she wants it that way,” Rain said, shrugging. “Something bad happened to her when she was younger and she’s been calling herself Neo ever since.” She put her hand up. “You wanna know, you ask her. It isn’t my place. But I will tell you this. She’s been actively doing things like this for almost seven years.” She paused a moment. “And Neo’s almost eighteen.”

Rebecca slowly furrowed her brow. “She’s been dealing with ghosts since she was eleven?”

Rain shook her head. “No. She’s been fighting vampires and monsters since she was eleven.” She shuddered and began looking around. “We’re not alone in here.” To emphasize her point, the cupboard door opened and slammed shut. Rebecca gasped and jumped. Rain started but stayed where she was. “We’re not going anywhere.” She said to the room at large. “And neither is this family.” A cold wind whipped through the room, causing the pans and utensils hanging above the island to rattle.

“I’m really starting to hate this house,” Rebecca said, softly.

“It knows that. And it’s feeding off of that fear.” Rain said. “You have to stay strong and let it know that this is _your_ house. You’re alive and it’s dead. The dead own nothing. You have to remember that.”

“That’s easier said than done,” Rebecca said, running her hands up and down her own arms.

“True. But in order to _do_ it, you first have to _say_ it.” Rain stepped over to the woman. “That’s where it always starts. Telling yourself you’re not afraid is the first step to not being afraid.”

Rebecca looked up into Rain’s eyes. “Thanks,” she said, smiling.

“That’s what I’m here for.”

Neo climbed the stairs behind Brendan. The trio moved up into the small bedroom that Kaitlin occupied. It was directly across the hall from the master bedroom that Brendan and Rebecca slept in. Neo entered first and looked around. She kept her eyes on the ceiling. She moved into the girl’s closet and looked up. Not seeing anything, she began looking at the walls of the closet itself. She reached up and pulled down a few boxes from the shelf above the girl’s hanging clothes.

“What are you doing?” he asked, curious.

Neo ignored him and stared at the wall. She cocked her head this way and that. “Did you paint in here?” she asked him.

“No. It was painted before we moved in, why?” he asked.

Neo pointed to a section of the wall. “Notice anything?” Brendan stared intently. He finally shook his head. Neo left the closet, grabbed the girl’s small computer chair and wheeled it over. “Hold onto this.” She said, pointing to the back of the chair. Brendan did as she instructed. Neo stood on it and pulled her pocket knife out. She inserted the blade into a small crack she saw forming at the top of the wall. Brendan wanted to question her, but he remained silent, letting her do as she would. A few minutes later, Neo pulled a panel of plywood away. She set it down and turned to Brendan. “Did you know this was here?” She asked, indicating a small crawlspace.

He frowned and shook his head. “No. What is it?”

“Not sure. But it leads to the attic,” Neo said to him. “Go downstairs and get Rain for me. Have her bring me up my backpack.”

“Come on, Kaitlin,” Brendan began. “Let’s-”

“No. Let her stay. She’s what’s drawing this thing, I need her to be here.” Neo said to him. “Don’t worry. Nothing’s gonna happen to her.”

Brendan sighed and left the room. Neo watched him leave, then turned to the crawlspace. She took a chance and asked a question in Czech. “Proč terorizují tuto holčičku (Why are terrorizing this little girl)? Co ti dělala (What did she do to you)?” She wasn’t necessarily surprised when she received no answer. “Kaitlin, why don’t you go ahead and get in bed, sweetie? You’ll be safe tonight, I promise.”

The girl nodded and did as she was asked. She slid under her covers and pulled her teddybear close. “Why is she so mad at me?” Kaitlin asked. “I didn’t do anything.”

“I don’t know,” Neo said, dropping down to stand beside the door of her closet. “But I’m gonna find out.” She approached the bed. “I want you to be ready, okay?”

“Ready for what?” Kaitlin asked.

“Well…” She sat on the edge of the bed. “The ghost that’s here is really upset. You see, she had something really terrible happen to her and she had to run away. So she moved to this house. But the bad man that was hurting her followed her and wanted to take her children away. Can you imagine how bad it would be if someone wanted to take you away from your parents?”

“I’d be really sad,” Kaitlin offered.

“Exactly. And your folks would be really mad, too. And that’s what happened to this woman. She was so scared that someone was going to take her children that she did something awful. She killed her children and then killed herself.”

“That’s terrible.” 

“Yes, it is. And now she feels really guilty, really sad, and really angry.” Neo shook her head. “And she doesn’t know what to do about it. She’s really, _really_ confused right now. That’s why she’s trying to scare you. Because the more afraid of her you are, the stronger she gets. Then she can do things like hurt you.” She could see the fear in Kaitlin’s eyes. “Hey, none of that, now.” She took the girl’s hand. She then flexed her arm. “You see this? You see these muscles? If she wants to hurt you, she’s gotta get past me first. And like I’ve said before. I’ve actually beat ghosts up.”

Kaitlin smiled. “Nuh-uh.”

“Hand to God,” Neo said, raising her hand. She turned to see Brendan, Rebecca and Rain come into the room. Rain moved over and dropped the backpack on the bed.

Brendan pointed to the crawlspace in the closet. “See?” he asked his wife. “Told you. I had no idea.”

“How could we have missed that?” Rebecca asked.

“Chances are there used to be a ladder against the wall,” Rain said. “Just easy access to the attic. A lot of houses like this will have things that weren’t part of the original design. Probably isn’t even on the blueprints.”

Neo looked to the parents. “You two can go. Rain and I are gonna stay in here tonight. We’ll keep the door open.” She pulled a large plastic half-gallon milk jug filled with what looked like sand out of the backpack. “I’ll have Rain do a walkthrough of the house every so often with this. She’ll pour it across the doorways of all the rooms.”

“What is that?” Rebecca asked.

“Sea salt, ground saltstone, and quartz. When dropped in a solid line across a doorway, it keeps a spirit from entering, temporarily.”

“Why can’t we just pour this across Kaitlin’s door?” Rebecca asked.

“Because this is where the ghost likes to be, so this is where we’re gonna have to get rid of it,” Neo said.

Rebecca opened her mouth to speak, but Rain rested a hand on her shoulder to stop her. “Trust her. She knows what she’s doing. We promise nothing is going to happen to your daughter.”

“We need to have faith, honey,” Brendan said, trying to keep his voice steady. His fear, however, was extremely evident.

Rebecca looked at him, then to Neo and Rain. She nodded to them and moved over, kissing her daughter. “Goodnight, baby.”

“Goodnight, mommy,” Kaitlin said. She then got a like hug and kiss from her father. “Goodnight, daddy.”

“Goodnight, sweetie,” he said softly. He stood and looked at the pair of potentials. “I have your word, right?”

“Nothing’s gonna happen to her. Not on my watch,” Neo said to him. The pair left the room hugging each other. She turned to Rain. “You ready for this?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” the girl said, smiling.


	72. Chapter 72

Neo took the jug from Rain and quickly poured a ring of the mixture around her bed. “Be sure not to break the line.” She said to the younger potential. Rain nodded as Neo tossed her the container. She then looked to Kaitlin. “Why don’t you go ahead and get some sleep, tiny? Bitch ain’t gonna get you. Not tonight.”

Kaitlin nodded and lay down on her bed and closed her eyes. She already felt a lot safer having the pair of girls in her room with her.

Rain moved over to stand beside her girlfriend. “What do we do, now?” she asked quietly.

Neo stood with her arms crossed, looking around the room. “Now, we wait.”

“How strong is this ghost?” Rain asked her.

“Truthfully?” She looked the girl in the eyes. “I don’t know. You can feel her more keenly than I can. What are your senses telling you?”

Rain shrugged and shook her head. “I don’t-,”

“Close your eyes. Clear your head.” Neo moved behind her and began massaging her shoulders. “Relax. Tell me what you feel.”

Rain did as Neo suggested. She let out a deep breath and concentrated on the room. In her mind’s eye, she could see everything. She let the room’s detail’s drop away, one by one, trying to focus on what she _couldn’t_ see. “I feel…” She felt her concentration being drawn to the closet, to the large opening Neo had discovered. “She’s here. She’s…confused. She doesn’t know what to make of us.”

Neo turned to the closet. “So you know we ain’t afraid of you, huh?” She smirked. “You leave tonight. I’m gonna make damn sure of that.”

Rain shuddered. “That pissed her off.”

Neo chuckled. “Oh, bitch. If _that_ pissed you off, you’re in for a _really_ long night.”

Rain staggered a step. “She’s gone.” The girl opened her eyes. “I don’t know where she went, but she’s gone.”

Neo nodded. “Alright. You stay here with Kaitlin. I’m gonna climb into the attic and see what’s what.”

“What do I do if she shows up pissed off?” Rain asked.

Neo reached into her bag and pulled out one of the bone-handled hatchets. “Hit her with this.”

Rain looked at it. “I haven’t seen this before. What is it?”

Neo pointed to the handle and head respectively. “Indian Shaman thigh bone. Saltstone head. You crack a ghost with this, it’ll do damage.” Neo lifted the backpack up onto her shoulder. “You need help, yell for me. Just to be on the safe side, drop a line across the closet door. That should be enough to keep you safe for a little bit.”

Rain nodded and pulled Neo in, kissing her fiercely. “Be careful.”

“You, too,” Neo returned.

“That would mean not being here, I think,” Rain said, smirking.

“Nah. This is what we do, baby,” Neo said. “Consider it on-the-job-training.” She patted the girl’s shoulder and moved to the closet. She hopped, grabbed the lip of the shelf and pulled herself up, entering the crawlspace she’d found. She moved along and stopped, pulling the small flashlight from her pocket. She heard Rain pouring the salt line across the door and nodded her approval. She moved the light this way and that, checking out the space. It was a simple crawlway. She pointed the light upward. “There we are.” She said. She tucked the flashlight away and rose, pushing on the trapdoor she found there. It resisted her attempts to open it. “I don’t think so, motherfucker.” She said to herself. She rested her back against the bottom of the door and flexed her legs. The wood creaked and finally gave out with a crack. She shoved the door up and out of the way.

The attic was dark and smelled of dust and old moist cardboard. She pulled her flashlight out and began peering around. It looked typical as old attics went. Boxes and old furniture dominated the room. She finished climbing up and dropped the door back down. She was glad that she could stand fully upright. She knelt and pulled the second of her axes from her bag and slid it into her belt. The room ran the entire length of the house. She could see where whoever owned the home before the Holts has begun turning it into another bedroom. They hadn’t gotten very far. A few partially built walls, but that was it. The research Cerri had done had shown that no one managed to last in the home more than a few months. Brendan, Rebecca, and Kaitlin were the longest residents to stay in the home since the mid-eighties.

Neo kept her light moving this way and that. “So where are you hiding?” she asked, looking about.

 _“Nech nás o samotě. (Leave us alone),”_  a raspy whisper offered from the far end of the attic.

Neo smiled and shook her head. “Can’t do that. You’re freakin’ this little girl out. I don’t give a shit if you fuck with her parents. But you attacked a little girl. That shit don’t sit well with me.”

_“Nepatří sem (They do not belong here).”_

“That ain’t up to you,” Neo said as she moved slowly closer. “You’re dead. They’re not. You ain’t got no claim over this house anymore. Time to move on, sister.”

 _“To je můj domov (This is_ my _house)!”_ The voice snapped angrily.

“Not anymore,” Neo said. “You don’t wanna leave on your own, I’ll _make_ you.”

 _“Ne! Nebudete (No! You will not)!”_ The voice growled. A large box was hurled at Neo’s head.

The potential stepped forward and caught the box in her arms. She was surprised to see it filled with books. “Oh, look at that. You got some strength to you, don’t you?” She set the box down and kicked it aside. “But you’re gonna have to try a lot harder than that.”

 _“VYPADNI (Get out)!”_ The woman screamed. The house shuddered with her rage.

Neo snorted. “Make me.” It was the last thing she said before an amorphous black mass swirled toward her. The force of it slammed into the muscular teen, hurling her backward through the partially constructed sheetrock wall. Neo landed hard on her back, sliding across the attic floor. Her breath was temporarily stolen. “That sucked.” She said, shaking her head. “Stronger than I thought.”

_“VYPADNI! NYNI (Get out! Now)!”_

“Fuck you!” Neo snapped back, rising to her feet. The mass rushed forward again. Neo quickly snatched her ax from her belt. “Yeah. Let’s try that again.”

As the gust came toward her, she stepped forward and swung. The weapon cut into the apparition as if it were biting into something solid. The ghostly woman let out a pain-filled wail and retreated immediately.

“Yeah, weren’t expecting that, were you, bitch?” A large antique chest of drawers suddenly flew toward Neo. “Oh, shit.”

She managed to get out before the furniture slammed into her. The impact knocked her to the ground and smashed over the top of her. “Ow. Fuck,” she said, softly.

Neo could see the ghostly woman lingering just out of the ring of her flashlight. Suddenly, she swirled and flew downward, through the main attic door.

“Shit!” Neo snapped, throwing the debris off of her. She rose to her feet and staggered, falling to her knees. She looked down to see her left knee had dislocated. “Fuck me.” She snarled. “And that’s the _good_ knee.”

She rolled onto her back and gripped her leg. She let out a breath and flexed. The joint relocated with a wet _thock_. Neo grunted loudly as she lay there a moment.   

 

Rain could hear the commotion from upstairs and gripped the haft of the hatchet tightly. “Come on, Neo,” she said, looking upward.

Brendan and Rebecca both rushed into the room. “What’s going on up there?” Brendan asked frantically.

Rain turned toward them and watched in horror as his foot dragged across the ground, breaking the line of salt across the doorway. “No!” She shouted, pointing to the floor.

At that moment, all hell broke loose.

Both Brendan and Rebecca were enveloped by a swirling mass of shadow and fury. The pair were flung out of the room to slam bodily into the wall across the hallway.

Kaitlin woke up, screaming, “Daddy! Mommy!”

The door to the little girl’s room shut with a loud crash. Kaitlin shrunk against the head of her bed, her blankets pulled uptightly and her teddy bear clutched in her arms. All that stood between the terrified little girl and the phantom horror was a thin line of blessed salt…

And Rain. “Nenechám tě mít (I’m not gonna let you have her).” The potential said defiantly. “Musíš mě zabít (You’ll have to kill me).” She backed up, careful of the salt line and hopped up to crouch on Kaitlin’s bed.

The ghostly woman shrieked and rushed forward. She slammed against the barrier the salt formed and began beating on it, doing her best to get through. She screamed _“Můj domov (My home)!”_ Over and over again.

Rain clutched the ax in her hand, staring at the face of the dead mother just inches from her own. “Come on, Neo.” She said, fearful. She wasn’t sure how long the barrier would hold up against the onslaught of the enraged spirit. And she wasn’t really keen to find out.

“Don’t let her get me.” Kaitlin squeaked, her voice filled with terror.

Rain risked a look back at the girl. She was sobbing so fervently that her body was hopping off the bed. The potential snarled and turned back to the rushing crush of black. “Not gonna happen.” She said, shaking her head. She tucked her knees under her. “Not gonna _fucking_ happen.” She drew back the ax and lunged, swinging it at the poltergeist with everything she had. The saltstone blade bit deeply into the amorphous form of the woman. She retreated with a loud, ear-piercing shriek. Rain hit the floor and rolled to her feet, the ax held in front of her. “Get the hell out of this house!” She shouted. “Jste mrtví (You are dead)!” She swung the ax again. Another rip appeared in the ghost’s form. “Nemáte další nárok (You have no more claim here)!”

 _“Můj domov! Moje rodina (My home! My family)!”_ the figure screeched.

Rain stopped and looked at the ghost. “What do you mean, your family?”

_“Moje dcery spí zde (My daughters sleep here).”_

“In her bed?” Rain asked, pointing to Kaitlin.

_“V tomto domě (In this house).”_

Rain was about to ask another question when a loud noise caught her attention.

 

Neo rose to her feet after relocating her knee. She ignored the pain in her leg and ran over, rushing down the stairs that led from the attic to the second-floor hallway. She could see Brendan and Rebecca trying to force the door to Kaitlin’s bedroom open. “You’ll never get that open,” Neo said, shaking her head.

“We need to get in there,” Rebecca said, frantic. “My daughter’s in there alone with Rain.”

Neo nodded. “I know.” She pushed Brendan back. “She’s too strong. She’s keeping the door closed. You ain’t getting through that.”

“Then what do we-?” He began to ask, but his question was cut off as he saw Neo punch a hole through the plaster and drywall directly beside the door.

She quickly tore through the sheetrock and exposed the two-by-four joists. She gripped the beam and snarled. Brendan and Rebecca both backed away, staring awestruck as Neo’s arms bulged with strain. “Does she really think she can go through the wall?” Rebecca asked her husband.

Before he could answer, the beam gave out with a loud _crack_. Neo tossed the wood over her shoulder and quickly kicked her way through the drywall on the opposing side of the two-by-fours. She emerged to see the ghostly mass floating in front of Rain. “Oh, yeah! That’s right, bitch. We tried it once your way. You game for a rematch?” She asked, pulling the ax from her belt.

“Neo, stop!” Rain shouted.

“What the fuck?” Neo asked, but remained where she was.

Rain continued to speak with the ghost in her native Czech. “Neublíží vám (She won’t hurt you).” Rain said to the floating woman. “Chcete, aby vaše dcery byly v bezpečí (You want to keep your daughters safe).” She pointed to Kaitlin. “To je všechno, co pro ni chceme (That’s all we want for her).”

“You didn’t tell me you speak Czech,” Neo said, staring at Rain.

“I’ll explain later,” Rain said.

_“Vyhoď je z našeho domu. Nech nás o samotě (Get them out of our house. Leave us alone).”_

“Yeah, fuck you,” Neo snapped. “This isn’t-,”

“Neo, shut up,” Rain shot at her. “Let me handle this.” Neo raised an eyebrow at her, but remained silent. Rain softened her expression, trying to take the bite out of the words. Neo sighed and nodded. “Jsi mrtvý. Vaše dcery jsou mrtvé. Nemůžete tu zůstat (You’re dead. Your daughters are dead. You can’t stay here).”

 _“Tohle je náš domov (This is our home)!”_ The apparition shouted.

Rain nodded her head. “Ano, to bylo (Yes, it was).” She turned and set the ax on the bed. She continued to speak to the woman. “A ty jsi zvedl dvě krásné dcery. Byli šťastní. Ale musíte jít dál. Je to rodina, která vás může následovat ve vašich krocích (And you raised two beautiful daughters here. They were happy. But you have to move on. It’s this family’s turn to follow in your footsteps).”

The woman turned to look at Brendan and Rebecca. _“To je místo, kde spí moje dcery (This is where my daughters sleep).”_ She said again.

“Fuck’s that supposed to mean?” Neo asked. After a second, her eyes went wide. “Motherfuckers.” She looked to Rain. “Her daughters’ bodies are still here.”

Rain furrowed her brow. “What?”

“Oh my God,” Rebecca said, covering her mouth with her hands in shock. “Oh my God.” She said again.

“Je to pravda (Is that true)?” Rain asked the woman in her native language.

 _“Moje dcery stále spí. Nejsem tady (My daughters sleep here still. I am not here).”_ Her ghostly voice filled with sorrow.

“Můžete nám ukázat, kde (Can you show us where)?” Rain asked. “Vezmeme je a necháme je řádně pohřbít (We will take them and have them given a proper burial).”

For several seconds the ghost merely stood there. Finally, she nodded. _“Udělám to (I will do this),”_ She offered.

 

Neo and Rain both stood with their arms crossed watching the paramedics roll the pair of gurneys out of the house. Each had a small form covered with a sheet secured upon them. It had taken the better part of the night to get the girls taken out of the walls of the attic. They’d been sealed away securely. Each was dressed in what was, at the time, a pair of extremely cute dresses.

Their mother had spent the time to make each of them look their best…after she’d shot them both in the temple in their sleep.

“She must have loved them both very much,” Rebecca said as she, Brendan and Kaitlin stood nearby.

Neo scoffed. “Not enough.”

Rebecca looked at her. “She was just afraid. Fear can make you do terrible things.”

Neo looked at her. She had a million things she wanted to say but settled on giving the woman a shrug. “I wouldn’t know.”

“You trying to tell me you’ve never been afraid?” Brendan asked.

“Nope,” Neo said, shaking her head. “But I will be.” She sighed and turned back to the ambulance and watched as the men closed it up and climbed in. “By then, though. It won’t matter.”

“What’s that mean?” Rebecca asked. “Why won’t it?”

Neo didn’t answer. She just walked silently toward the Impala with her backpack on her shoulder. Rain, however, explained, “Neo is only going to be afraid at one point in her life. When she’s alone and doesn’t have anyone left to fight for. Then, and _only_ then, will she truly know what it means to be afraid.”

“That’s…” Rebecca looked at Neo as she stood, trembling with her bag on her shoulder.

Kaitlin pulled away from her mother and ran up to the large potential. She reached up and took Neo’s hand. She looked down at her. “Thank you.” She said, softly. Neo stared intently at her. “You saved me.”

Neo shook her head. “No, I didn’t,” she said, softly. She turned and looked Rain directly in the eyes. “Not this time.” Kaitlin turned and likewise looked at the younger girl.

Rain just stared at girlfriend. She sighed and smiled. The pair didn’t say anything. Because there was nothing that needed to be said.

They wished the Holts a good night and climbed back into the car. For a while, they drove along in silence.

Rain reached over and rested a hand on Neo’s leg. The elder potential sat a moment. “You did a good thing, tonight,” Neo said to the girl. “I’d have just fucked it up.”

“You’d have done what you-,”

“I’d have fucked it up,” Neo repeated. “I’d have just tried exorcising her. I wouldn’t have solved the problem. I wouldn’t have given the woman a chance. But you did. You got to the root of it. _You_ listened to her. You heard what she was saying.” Neo shook her head. “I wouldn’t have done that. I wouldn’t have given a shit.”

Rain stared at Neo a moment. “You come from a more brutal world than most. You-,”

“Stop that,” Neo said, stiffly. “Don’t try justifying the way I do shit. I’m a fuckin’ pissy bitch that likes to think with her fists most of the time. No need to sugar coat it. It’s a failing, among many, which I’ve come to terms with.” She pulled to a stoplight and looked at Rain. “I’m not baggin’ on myself or putting myself down. I am what I am and that’s all that I am. I’m set. I can’t change. Mostly by choice, but still. What I’m saying is that you aren’t like me. Yeah, you’re getting the groove physically, but you also have gray matter and patience. Two things that I ain’t got and never will have. I’ve got the supernatural book smarts because I find this shit interesting, but that’s about it. But what you did tonight, that took an understanding and focus that I just ain’t got.”

Rain listened intently. “You do what you need to do. You _lead_. You’re a good leader because you listen. Because you let everyone play to their strengths. You knew what I was when you brought me on board. It wasn’t just because I can core an apple with my tongue.”

Neo furrowed her brow. “Can you really?”

“Not the point of the conversation, Neo,” Rain said.

“Oh, no. You don’t just noodle incident that shit. I mean, I know you can strip the chrome off a Caddy’s bumper, but you don’t just-,”

“You brought me on board because you saw something in me. It wasn’t my combat skills, because I didn’t really have any.”

“Yeah, don’t sell yourself short, kiddo. You laid down a pretty serious smack in V-Ville.” Neo offered.

“But compared to the rest of the band, I was kind of dead weight. Even Cerri would probably kick my ass,” Rain offered.

“Yeah, but she’d cheat. She’ll stuff a stun-gun into your snatch and fry your ovaries,” Neo responded.

“And that’s disturbing. But my point is, on the surface, I didn’t fill any roles. I couldn’t fight for crap, I couldn’t shoot a gun to save my life, I wasn’t exactly the most physical person. But that didn’t stop you. You still wanted me with you.” Rain smiled. “And this was why.”

“Because you’re good at this. You’ve got a sharp mind, you’re observant as hell and can do that whole disappear into a crowd thing. That’s just awesome.”

“That’s just because I’m boring and look like every other girl on the planet,” Rain said.

“I happen to know that is _flatly_ untrue,” Neo said, grinning as she pulled up to their warehouse. “You have this little scar on your right butt cheek. I lick it every time I get you naked.”

“I fell off a fence and landed on a beer bottle.” Rain said. “Not one of my finer moments.”

Neo snorted. “That’s funny. But don’t feel bad. I got a few embarrassing scars of my own. Got a scar on the bottom of my right foot where I stepped on one of Cerri’s legos.”

“That shit fuckin’ hurts.” Rain said. “Those fuckers are no joke.”

“Tell me about it,” Neo said as she pulled the car to a stop. “I’m tired as hell.”

“Well, that’s just tough.” Rain said. She pulled Neo in and kissed her intently. “Because I’ve got an apple to core.” Neo shuddered as Rain took her hand and led her toward the trailer. The smile never left Neo’s face.


	73. Chapter 73

His legs pumped. He was glad that he didn’t need to breathe. His stamina wouldn’t give out. He could run forever if he had to. He risked a look back. His heart, if it still beat, would have skipped several.

She was still behind him. He was new to the world of the undead. He’d risen a little over a month ago. But even in that short time, he’d heard of her. She was spoken of openly with something approaching terror by those that dared speak her name. To be caught by a slayer, of which there were many, was one thing.

But to be cornered by _her_ was quite possibly the most horrific of outcomes as a member of the supernatural community. Nothing but pain waited for those that found themselves garnering the attention…of Neo Knight.

The brunette teen knew what the vampire was thinking. And she couldn’t be happier. He ran for everything he was worth. Because of his undead status, he was faster, stronger, and tougher than the average human by leagues.

Despite not being a slayer, she still embodied everything it was to _be_ a slayer. She didn’t have the strength, the speed, or the stamina of her sister warriors. But she more than made up for it with heart, with _determination_. As Cerri’s lovingly penned ballad said, she possessed a _Warrior’s Soul_. And tonight, she was proving it. When this vampire died, and he would do so screaming, he would be greeting eleven more of his ilk on the shores of the river Styx, coins in hand, waiting to pay the boatman.

But she wouldn’t be acting alone. Through meticulous preplanning, the vampire was about to learn that Neo didn’t fight on her own. Yes, she fostered the image of being the boogieman’s boogieman. This kept the attention on her. And, as the large rifle bullet blew the vampire’s right leg off at the knee, followed by the distant crack of sniper fire, the demon-possessed corpse learned that fact. At the speed he was running, the loss of a lower appendage caused him to crash to the ground and flip ass over applecart.

Neo was upon him in a heartbeat. Her boot smashed into his face as she ran past, dislodging several of his teeth and splaying his nose across his cheek in a splash of blood. She slid to a stop and turned to look down at him. She was breathing heavily. “Gotta hand it to you, shithead. You got some _legs_ on you.” She rested her hands on her knees as she gulped in labored breaths. “Gotta catch my shit.”

“My fuckin’ leg!” He shouted, gripping the bloodied stump.

“Yeah, it’s gone,” Neo said, nodding. “That’s a Barrett M107 fifty cal for ya.” She stood and stretched. “Time to get to work.” She stepped over and reached down, gripping the vampire’s throat, and lifting him effortlessly from the ground. “Right about now, I know what you’re thinkin’. You’re thinkin’ something along the lines of ‘oh God, she’s gonna tear me apart’. And you’d be right," she said, pulling the massive knife from behind her back. He grimaced in pain as she shoved the blade into his stomach and began twisting. “Every single one of you motherfuckers that I’ve killed tonight has died staring at pieces of himself. You ain’t gonna be any different.”

She violently whipped the blade sideways, spilling his internal organs onto the ground. The wound wouldn’t kill him, but it hurt like hell. Neo knew that and reveled in it. “You see, when you become a vampire, when the demon that’s riding around in you takes over, at least from what I hear, it’s a rush like no other. Like you’re Godzilla flying on PCP. The promise of power, strength, immortality and all that happy horseshit.” She took the blade and rammed it into the joint of his right shoulder. “But the thing is, tonight?” She shook her head. “You’re gonna learn that gaining immortality is the worst fucking thing that has _ever_ happened to you.”

She began wrenching the knife this way and that. The vampire screamed and struggled, gripping her wrist. He drew back with his left fist and punched her across the jaw. She released her hold on him, dropping him the ground. The knife remained lodged in his shoulder, caught between the bones. She quickly fell to her knees, one on his chest, the other on his outstretched arm.

“Stop moving,” she said, gripping the blade with both hands. “This is a delicate procedure.” She twisted and turned the weapon, sawing his arm off at the shoulder.

The vampire had never experienced pain such as this. He didn’t even think it was possible. The girl was impossibly strong. His screams turned shrill as she took hold of his arm at the bicep and pulled, tearing his limb off with a squelching _crunch_. “Whew. Son of a bitch was really _on there_.” She held it up in front of his eyes. “That was a workout.” She tapped his nose with the bloody end. “But we’re just getting started, kiddo.” She tossed the appendage aside. She sidled over, again resting a knee on his chest and her other on his left arm. She then proceeded to repeat the process of cutting through his arm, all the while singing “One down, three to go, one more cut, one more blow. Blood and bone, taken away, it’ll never grow back…” to the tune of Yes’ _Leave it_.

Quan, Rain, and the twins were all sitting on the tailgate of the Raptor eating the Doublemeat Palace meals they’d picked up while Neo had her fun. The Potential came walking out of the cemetery with a spring in her step. “Y’all better have some for me.”

Rain lifted the bag from behind her and tossed it to the girl. “Took you long enough.”

“What can I say? I take pride in my work.” Neo leaned back against the side of the rig with a hard _thump_.

“Hey!” Quan said, tapping the back of Neo’s head. “Watch the paintwork!”

The Potential stepped away. “Sorry.” She said, looking down at the panel. She set her food down and shrugged off her assault vest, before tossing it into the back of the truck, leaving her standing in her black tank top.

Rain stared at her muscular arms, her rippling back and her washboard stomach and couldn’t help but lick her lips. She lifted her eyes to see Neo staring at her with a raised eyebrow. “Don’t look at me like that.” Rain said, averting her gaze back to her burger. “I’m _supposed_ to think you’re sexy, remember?”

            Neo chuckled and nodded. “True.” She again settled back against the side of the rig. She was just about to tuck into her own burger when Cerri’s voice came over the earpieces.

“We got another one. He’s about forty paces north by northeast of you,” the girl offered. “Seems to be keeping his distance.”

“How do you know it’s a vamp?” Neo asked, looking in that direction.

Sadiira quickly lifted her goggles and peered through them. “I can see him. No heat sig.” She dropped the eyewear to her bag and went back to her food. “He’s a vampire.” 

Neo stood, but Rain rested a hand on her shoulder. “I got him.” She said hopping down to the ground.

“Knock ‘em dead, slugger,” Neo said. She shot in and kissed the girl firmly on the lips. “Might be the pot calling the kettle black, but be careful.”

Rain returned the embrace. “You’re right.” She smiled at her girlfriend. “It is.” She lifted her compound bow and began walking the direction of the vampire. She knocked an arrow and drew back as she approached him. “You can try running if you want. Won’t do you any good, but you can try.”

The figure stepped out of the shadows his hands raised. “Don’t worry, girl. I’m no-” It was the last thing he said in his cockney accent before the arrow cracked into his knee, dropping him to the ground. “Oh, bloody _hell_ , that _hurts_!” He said, clutching at the projectile protruding from his joint. “What the bloody hell did you do that for?” He asked as he gripped the shaft and pulled it free with a squelching _pop_.

“You’re a vampire. I’m a vampire hunter.” Rain said, taking aim at his chest. “Do the math.” She quickly took in everything about him. He was average height with a short head of bleach blonde hair, a long black trenchcoat, blood-red button-down shirt, and black jeans. Judging from his accent, she put him as a Blackpool or Wiggin native.

“I’m no harm to you, girl. No harm to any of you.” He lightly slapped the side of his own head. “Government made sure of that.”

Rain cocked her head. “Spike?”

“Take it the slayer filled you in on me.” He said, rising to his feet. “Bloody Nora.” He rubbed his leg. “Did you have to go for the damn joint, bint?”

“He can be the biggest man in the world, you take out his knee, he’ll drop like a stone,” Rain offered, lowering her bow.

Neo stepped up to stand next to her love. “Been wonderin’ when we’d run into you.”

“You been tearin’ through this town for a week,” Spike said. “And I’ve heard of you. Remember you from that last time you came through. You’re the _last_ person I wanna be on the bad side of.”

“Why step out of the shadows now?” Neo asked, taking a bite of her sandwich. “Not like we were gunnin’ for you.”

“I just needed to find out if the stories were true. That you’d come to the Hellmouth to clean house as it were.” Spike said.

“This town needs an enema,” Neo said to him. “So the question becomes whose side are you on?”

 “If I say I’m on my own side?” he asked.

“You’ll quickly learn that I ain’t Buffy and have absolutely no problem seeing how many octaves I can make you scream in before you die.” Neo shook her head. “I don’t give two fucking shits about the chip in your head. The fact that you can’t fight back won’t make a damn bit of difference to me.”

Spike, if it were at all possible, paled. “That’s dark, bint.”

“Compared to me?” Neo grinned. “You, Angelus, Darla, and Drusilla were fucking amateur hour.”

Spike frowned at that. “We terrorized Europe for over-,”

She cut him off. “Yeah, yeah. You scared a bunch of farmers and sheepherders that would jump at their own shadows at night. Fuck off with that shit.” She tapped her chest. “I’ve been terrifying vampires and demons for the past six and a half years. _Actual_ monsters. And a lot of them were a lot older, more powerful and smarter than you four losers. And I’m _human_.”

“I didn’t have this chip in my head, love…” Spike said, glaring at her.

“We wouldn’t be talking,” Neo said, stepping up to glare into his eyes. “I’d be stomping a mudhole in your ass and walking it dry.” She shook her head. “Even at your worst, you wouldn’t scare me. At best?” She turned and walked away from him. “You’d be exercise.” She took the final bite of burger and tapped Rain on the shoulder. “See you ‘round, blondie.” She turned and looked back as she and Rain moved to the truck. “And Billy Idol called. He wants his look back.”

“You’re not the slayer, love,” Spike said, grinning smugly. “And you never will be.”

Neo stopped and turned, moving back up to him. “You know what?” She said, staring into his eyes. “You’re absolutely right.” She quickly gripped his throat and lifted him from the ground. “But I don’t really think that matters, do you?”

He stared at her and took hold of her wrist with both hands and began pulling her hand free, causing her to drop him. “You’re not as strong as-,” He stopped when Neo booted him in his injured knee, causing him to cry out. Her grip resumed on his throat. This time, she pushed him to his knees. “Bloody hell,” He snarled.

“Don’t fuck with me, Spike. The only thing keeping you safe from me is the fact that you haven’t hurt my friends and family. You keep out of my – _our_ way and you won’t have to find out what your left testicle tastes like. But you push me, you come at me, you fuck with _any_ of us in _any_ way and I’ll show you what true evil looks like.” She lifted him to within an inch of her face. “Ask around, motherfucker. Ask the demons around you who they’re more afraid of. Me… or the slayers. See what they say.” She tossed him on the ground and moved off to the rest of the girls. “Have a good night.”

 

Neo saw Talia standing with her arms crossed glaring at her when the Ford pulled into the warehouse. “Yeah. She’s pissed.” Neo said with a sigh.

“That was incredibly stupid,” the Watcher said as Neo climbed out of the rig.

“How do you figure?” the Potential asked.

“Spike is not to be taken lightly,” Talia offered. “He’s over a hundred and forty years old. Just because he can’t attack humans directly doesn’t mean he isn’t dangerous.”

Neo stood in front of her. “I know that. That’s the whole point.”

She furrowed her brow. Quan, Cerri and the twins knew what Neo had done. They were intimately familiar with her logic. So they saw to busying themselves with other projects, leaving Neo to explain to Talia. Rain, for her part just stood, bow in hand, listening. She was sort of curious as to why Neo would intentionally antagonize someone like Spike. “What do you mean, that’s the whole point?”

“As Spike sits right now, he’s toothless, but not _helpless_. He isn’t without resources and gray matter. I know he can still manipulate and play his games. He isn’t the first vampire to try it with us, and he sure as shit won’t be the last. The last time that shit happened, well, you saw the outcome. Dracula tried playing a mind game and what happened? I sent the son of a bitch running like a scared Chihuahua. He packed up and hit the bricks.”

“He left out of respect, Alice. Not out of fear,” Talia corrected.

“To-may-to, to-mah-to,” Neo said. “Point is, he went one round with me and took off. Reasons don’t enter into it. Fact is, he tapped, not me. I was still ready to keep going. _He_ called it quits. Spike wants to try that shit, that’s fine. Let him. We know the rules, we know the game and thanks to Willow, we know the field.” She pointed to the van. “Cerri’s got the four-one-one and the Electric Eye and can see every inch of this berg.” She shook her head. “Spike makes a play, we put a stake or arrow through his heart or a bullet through his brain-pan. Buffy might be too much of a chicken shit to put his ass down, but I sure as hell ain’t.” She shrugged. “Besides, Spike doesn’t strike me as an idiot. He doesn’t really seem the type to poke a hornets’ nest if he can avoid it. Not unless he thinks he has something to gain and, at it sits, I don’t see what he has to gain by pissing me off.”

“Revenge for emasculating the shit out of him in front of the rest of the band?” Rain asked. Both Watcher and Potential looked at her. “That shit might not sit well with him.”

Neo grinned. “ _That,_ my dear girl, is what I’m hoping for.”

“Unless he gets it in his head to hire demons to storm the place and take us out,” Talia said. “Have you thought of that?”

Neo nodded. “I have, actually. And there’s no way in hell any demon is going to work with him.”

“How can you _possibly_ know that?” Talia asked, arms crossed.

“Cerri?” Neo shouted, knowing the girl had been listening to the whole conversation.

“He’s been making a terror of himself for the past six months, fighting and killing other vampires and demons. That’s how he gets his rock, now. Vampires, by and large, don’t kill others of their kind. It’s seen as traitorous and against some unspoken code. He’s an outcast now, just like Angel and Max. No demon or vamp will work with him. They tolerate him around here, but that’s about it.” The girl explained as she worked. “He’s pretty much on his own.”

“So there you go,” Neo said, smiling. “Despite how it may appear, Tal, I _do_ know what I’m doing. Been doing it long enough to figure shit out.”

The woman sighed. She couldn’t fault Neo’s logic. Everything she said made perfect sense. It was somewhat annoying that Neo constantly seemed so very arrogant. The thing is, she wasn’t arrogant. She was confident. She was confident in what she could do and what she knew. Yes, there were times when she was caught off guard. And in very human fashion, she was shaken by such occurrences, but she never stopped being who – _what_ – she was. Even if she did need a bit of a push now and then. “You frustrate me so very much, you know that?” She glared at the girl .

Neo grinned wider. “Is Watcher gonna give her little Potential a spankin’ for bein’ naughty?”

Talia sneered, then quickly lifted Neo onto her shoulder. “You, my dear little snot have no idea what you’re in for.” Neo giggled as she was whisked away toward the trailer. “Come Rain. I’ll need help for this.”

Rain chuckled as she deposited her gear in the back of the Raptor and followed behind her two dearest loves.

Quan, Cerri and the twins looked at the three of them and as one, smiled. The marked change in their beloved leader was profound. Just a few months ago, Neo was constantly angry. She would snarl, snap and growl at even those closest to her. She hardly ever smiled.

Now, she never seemed to stop smiling. It was nice to see.

And the band had a very gifted Watcher and a spunky free-runner from southern California to thank for it.


	74. Chapter 74

Cerridwen sat up, stretched and yawned. She turned to see Quan still fast asleep beside her. She smiled and leaned over, pecking the large woman on the cheek. She then crawled out of bed and gathered clothing for a quick shower.

She reached into the fridge, snatched a few slices of the cold pizza within and a can of soda. She then took her breakfast and stepped out of the air-conditioned trailer in the heat of the warehouse at large. The warmth inside was so intense, it took her breath away. It almost felt as a punch to the chest. She shook her head and trotted over to the van. She pulled the driver’s side door open and climbed in. She reached over and immediately cranked the air conditioning up to full blast. “That sucked,” She said to the emptiness of the van. She moved from the seat into the back of the rig and dropped into the chair in front of the consoles. “I miss my warehouse.” She added. She fired up her computers and took a bite of the pizza. She cracked open the soda and took a sip.

Ever since Neo had taunted Spike, Cerri had been especially observant. She continuously watched the town for any signs of the blonde vampire. She saw him here and there, but he seemed to largely keep to himself. She honestly believed it was only a matter of time before he tried something. She understood why Neo had done what she had. But she also kind of understood Talia’s feelings about it. Now, she didn’t for a minute believe that Neo wasn’t aware of how dangerous he could be. But she saw what Talia was trying to say. Neo might be aware of it, but she might not fully _appreciate_ it.

But be that as it may, nothing thus far had come of it. It had been over a week and he hadn’t tried to balance the account. In fact, things were going far _too_ well, if Cerri were to be honest with herself. The girls were going out every night and tracking down every vampire they could find. In the past thirteen nights, they’d managed to rack up sixty-five vampires, twenty-six demons of varying species, stopped two attempts to open the Hellmouth and stopped one gas station robbery. They’d also found a lost six-year-old girl at the mall and reunited her with her mother. The woman wanted to pay them, but Neo just laughed it off and told the woman to get a leash for her kid.

Cerri found it kind of funny that the woman thought their band leader was making a joke. Everyone else in the group knew better. The petite drummer was still chuckling when she saw the large black limousine approach the outer fence of their warehouse. She raised an eyebrow as a figure in a business suit stepped out and stared at the building, taking pictures. Cerri quickly switched to a different camera, zooming in on the license plate. She began running the number, then focused back on the figure.

After a few seconds, she decided enough was enough. She turned on the external PA system. “Something we can do for you, friend?” She asked. The man said nothing, just continued taking pictures. “Okay. If that’s the way you wanna play it.” She lifted her cell and dialed Neo. “She’s gonna be real pissed at you, pal.”

“It’s a quarter to seven in the fucking morning, Cerri,” Neo answered groggily.

“Get dressed. We got a potential situation. I need you in the van.”

“I’m on my way.” She said, suddenly fully aware.

Cerri hung up and went back to watching. The man was calm as could be as he stood there, just snapping photos. He began walking around the structure, taking various snapshots. “Okay, this is getting creepy,” Cerri said, shaking her head.

Both Neo and Quan climbed into the van. “What’s going on?” Neo asked her. She looked at the monitor and pointed. “Who the fuck is that?”

“Don’t know,” Cerri said. “Plate isn’t in the system. It’s fake. Don’t have any idea who he is or who he’s with.”

“Has he been just taking pictures the whole time?” Quan asked.

“He’s casing the building. Didn’t figure anyone was up, I’m betting,” Neo said.

“He knows. I asked him on the outside push. He didn’t say shit. Just kept taking shots,” Cerri said.

Neo nodded then turned to the back of the van. “Then maybe we outta ask a little harder.”

Cerri immediately brought up a program. “Gimme a sec, first,” she said, tapping away at her keyboard.

“What are you doin’?” Quan asked her.

Cerri brought up a shot of the car. “That’s a 2013 Mercedes SL550 stretch limousine. Comes standard with GPS and autodrive functionality in case it gets stolen. That lets the company shut down the car remotely.”

“You can keep him from driving away?” Neo asked her.

“Yes, I can,” Cerri said, as her fingers flew across the keys. “There. It ceases being a car and becomes the world’s most valuable boat anchor.” She looked to Neo and Quan both. “Have fun.”

Neo grinned and patted her shoulder. “Good lookin’ out. Thanks, kiddo.”

Cerri’s smile nearly took in her ears. She loved it when Neo complimented her. She turned back to the cameras and watched with rapt interest. The man climbed back into the car. “Uh-uh-uh. Not until the boss lady has a chat with you, youngsters.”

The pair made their way to the front of the building. Neo cracked her knuckles as the large bay door squealed open. “You do know that you might not actually get to whup the shit outta someone, right?” Quan asked her.

“I don’t let that kind of negative thinking in,” Neo said, smiling. “Expensive black limo, designer business suit taking photos of the only occupied warehouse in a three-block radius?” She shook her head. “No. This motherfucker is up to some shady shit. Got an ID in my wallet that gives us free license to bust open a six-pack.”

“Somethin’ wrong with you,” Quan said, with a chortle.

“You knew that the second you dragged me to your van three years ago,” Neo said to her. “No use complainin’ about it now.” They exited the bay and trotted to the large gate. The limousine sat unmoving. They could hear the driver trying desperately to start the vehicle. Neo threw back the gate and stepped up, rapping firmly on the window. “Pardon me. Would you have any Grey Poupon?” She asked with a sinister smile. “Seriously, open up, buddy. Otherwise, I’ll have my friend here tear this beast apart piece by piece. Given its hefty price tag, I’m betting you’d wanna avoid that.”

“It’s armored, dear.” She heard a man’s voice from inside. “But that’s very much beside the point. Anything happens to me, someone very close to you dies.”

Neo immediately stopped smiling. “You done fucked up, asswipe.” She looked at Quan. “Get him out of that fucking car.”

Quan stepped up and tapped the windows and the body panels. She then knelt and looked under the car. “Well, he’s not lying. The car’s armored to the nines. Even at full strength, I couldn’t get through the bodywork.”

“Glad you can see logic. Now tell that little bitch-” the man began explaining.

“ _But_ ,” Quan cut him off. She closed her eyes and drew upon the tattoos responsible for her incredible strength. She knelt and gripped the bottom of the car.

“What are you doing?” The voice asked her.

“You’ll see,” Quan said, regaining her feet. She gave out with a grunt as the limousine rose onto two wheels.

Neo crossed her arms and watched with satisfaction. She turned to one of the many cameras and smiled, giving a thumbs up. “You seein’ this, half-pint?” She didn’t need to hear an answer to know. “There’s gonna be pussy in the trailer tonight.” She said, returning her gaze to the giant woman.

Quan wasn’t listening as she pushed the massive vehicle onto its side. She settled it on its door and stepped back. She looked at Neo. “As I said, even at full chock, I wouldn’t be able to get through the body panels or windows. _But_ most armoring companies don’t bother reinforcing the floor.” She quickly tore away the lower cross members, exhaust pipes and anything that obscured the floorboards. She drew back her fist and delivered a powerful blow that rent a large gaping hole in the bottom of the car. She reached up and, with both hands pried the metal away, opening the passenger compartment to the world. The man was now cowering against the roof of the car. She looked at him and smiled. “Hey, there.” She said. “Havin’ a rough morning?” She chuckled. “It’s about to get a lot worse.” She tore the metal away further and backed off.

Neo moved over and looked in at him. “You and me are gonna have a serious discussion about respect.”

“I mean it. You lay a hand on me and they’re dead. I don’t report back to my employers, an open contract hits the underworld for his head.”

Neo climbed in and knelt, staring at him. “Oh, make no mistake, motherfucker. You’ll be reporting back to your higher-ups. You don’t need to worry about that.” She slowly shook her head. “But no one said it was going to be in one piece.”

“I’m human. You kill me and your life is over. That’s murder. And your government connections wouldn’t be able to save you. Not from who I work for.” He stared intently at her. “You really need to think about this.”

Neo’s hand shot out, gripping his throat and pinning him back against the ceiling of the overturned car. “I never think that far ahead.” She said to him. She held her hand there and watched him struggle for breath. She tightened her hold and stared him in the eyes as he slowly suffocated. Once his body was limp, she turned to the driver. He’d remained quiet, desperately hoping she’d forget he was there. “Come here.” She snarled at him.

The man did as he was instructed, climbing between the front and the passenger compartment. “Please don’t kill me.” He said, holding his hands up. “I’m just a driver.”

“What’s your name?” she asked him.

“Robert. Robert Hessman,” the man offered, terrified.

“You got a family, Robert?”

“If I say no, are you gonna kill me?” He asked.

“You keep dodging the question, I might. You got a family?” Anger filled her voice.

“N-no. I’m single,” He whined.

“Fine,” she said to him. “What were you supposed to do here, today?”

“Like I said, I’m just the driver. I was supposed to drive him here and wait while he did whatever it was he was doing. I don’t know.”

Neo looked into his eyes. “No. You don’t.” She began sifting around in her victim’s pockets. “He got a cell phone?”

“In his inside pocket,” Robert said, pointing.

Neo reached in and pulled it out. “Thanks.” She pointed to the bottom of the car and huge gaping hole. “Get out and wait beside the big chick with the tattoos. You run and she’ll catch you. And given that you’re working side by side with a man that just threatened someone she cared about, she’d have no qualms about ramming your head up your ass sideways.”

Robert nodded and did as he was told. Neo watched him go and turned back to the dead man. She tore off his jacket and shirt, then pulled her pocket knife out. She began carving a message to those that had sent him.

Quan stood, glaring down at Robert as he trembled in abject terror. In truth, she’d taken the threat with a grain of salt. Personally, she couldn’t think of anyone they’d be able to get to, let alone be a danger to. They took enough precautions that everyone’s safety was practically guaranteed. Recent history being what it was, they never let each other out of their sight. But the man in front of her didn’t know that. Nor did she have any intention of telling him. So she stared at him narrow-eyed with an ‘ _I dare you_ ’ look on her face. Being between five-seven and five-eight depending on his footwear, Robert was forced to look up at the massive woman.

A moment later, Neo climbed back out of the vehicle, blood on her hands. She reached out and wiped her palms on his expensive jacket. He said nothing as she did so. “Quan?” she asked the big woman, pointing to the car. She then took Robert’s arm and pulled him away as the muscular tattooed juggernaut moved around to the other side of the rig. “This is what you’re gonna do, Hoss. You’re gonna drive this thing back home and you’re gonna deliver a message for me.”

“Wh-what message?” he asked, fearful.

“He’s got it,” she said, pointing at the passenger. “Just make sure they get it. Can you do that?” He nodded eagerly. “Good,” Neo said, smiling. She nodded as the limousine slammed down onto its wheels. “Your car is ready. Take it easy, Bob,” she said patting his shoulder. “Remember what I said. Make sure your higher-ups get that.” She pointed to the back seat of the car. “It’s important.”

“I will,” He said turning and running for the front door of the car.

Quan moved over and stood beside Neo as the man climbed behind the wheel and peeled away. “What did you do?”

“Typical shit. If they come after us again, holy war, graphic threats. You know the drill.” Neo said, crossing her arms. “You do realize that Cerri was watching you go all She-Hulk on that car, right?” She looked at her longtime friend.

“Yeah, I know.”

“She’s gonna fuck you stupid,” Neo said, turning to go back into the building.

“What are we gonna do if they come at us full force?” Quan asked her.

“What do you think we’re gonna do?” Neo asked her. “Wreck their shit.”

“Ask a stupid question…” Quan responded, shaking her head.

The pair moved back inside, securing the gate behind them. Neo climbed back into the van and tossed the phone on the desk beside Cerri. “See what you can get out of that.”

Cerri lifted it and began working with it. “You know what would have been a good idea?” She turned to look at Neo. The girl looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Finding out who the fuck those two idiots worked for.”

Neo stared at her a moment, then turned to Quan. “I am _dumb_.”

“Yeah, thinking isn’t really your strong suit.” Quan said. “I’m gonna go grab a shower. I smell like axel grease and sweat.”

“Need someone to come and wash your back?” Cerri asked, grinning.

“We both know watching what I just did, your hands wouldn’t be anywhere near my back,” Quan offered as she dropped from the back of the van. “Keep working that phone.”

“Pooh on you,” Cerri said, going back to work. Neo chuckled as she watched the pair. “ _Shaddup_.” The younger girl snapped at her.

Neo made a zipping motion across her lips and shook her head.

Cerri downloaded the call log to her computer and began running the numbers. “Most of this is standard crap.” She said, highlighting and eliminating the numbers. “He’s not exactly particular about clearing his phone out.” She sighed contentedly. “I like it when they’re dumb.”

“Or maybe he just doesn’t give a shit. He seemed pretty cocky until Quan upended his limo and ripped through the floor like tin foil.”

“Yeah,” Cerri said, whimsically. “That was _so_ cool.”

“Concentrate on today. Chances are he spoke to his boss this morning. That should be either the most recent call or the most numerous.”

Cerri nodded and did as she was asked. “Today he received a call at four AM, then he called the number back twice. Once at five-thirty, the other just before he got out of the car. First call was seventeen minutes, the second for two minutes and change, and the last was twenty-seven seconds.”

“Probably his boss calling him with instructions, then him checking in.” Neo offered.

“You want me to dial it up?” Cerri asked her just as the cell phone began ringing. Both girls noticed it was the same number.

“No need,” Neo said. She swiped the screen and tapped the speaker button. “Goooood morning Sunnydale. You’ve got Neo.”

“Ah, good.” A very, _very_ cultured deep voice offered. “This saves me time.”

Neo smiled. “Okay, hoss before we go any further, have you thought about fronting a band? You have got a seriously nice voice. Make a fortune on the gothic metal circuit.”

A soft chuckle drifted from the phone. “From a singer of your caliber, Miss Knight, I’ll take that as quite the compliment.”

“So what makes you wanna call little old me?” she asked, leaning against the console and crossing her arms. “I’m just a singer in a rock and roll band.”

“If the word on the street is to be believed – and if the… _remains_ I just received are anything to go by – you are far, _far_ more than that.”

“You got my message, I take it?” Neo asked, grinning.

“I did. A bit… _barbaric_ , but effective. ‘One day in the year of the fox, when the bell began to ring, meant the time had come for one to go to the temple of the queen’. An obscure warning, no doubt, but I understood its implications.”

“Good to know a true music fan when I hear one,” Neo returned.

“I called you as a courtesy, Miss Knight.”

“Call me Neo,” she said to him.

“Trust me, when you see what I have to show you, you won’t be quite so cordial. I’m sending a video file to this phone. You’ll see it coming through.”

Cerri picked it up and tapped the screen as the icon appeared. Both girls watched as candid video footage appeared of Edgar Frog, Neo’s father. It was obvious he was in custody and had been beaten senseless. “Why show me this?” Neo asked him. She looked to Cerri and nodded. The girl immediately was on the line with Rite, working on a rescue plan.

“I want you to know what continued defiance will cost you. There’s going to be a limousine appearing at your building in ten minutes. You and you alone will climb into it. You will allow-,”

She cut him off. “Is this supposed to somehow intimidate me, motherfucker?” Neo said to him. “My dad’s a Vampire Hunter, shit stain. He knew the risks, just like I do. Just like we all do. He’s had a good run and has been ready to die for a long time.”

“You mean to tell me that he means nothing to you?”

“Didn’t say that at all. But here’s the kicker. You whupped his ass. I should make you pay for that, but I’m not. You never should have been able to get the drop on him in the first place. Shows he’s getting old and needs to keep his shit tighter. So this is an object lesson for him. He’ll learn to run a tighter ship and be more careful.”

“His life-,”

Again, she cut him off. “His life isn’t in danger because you aren’t stupid. You called me for a reason. You _chose_ me for a reason. Either because you’ve done your homework and know my rep or you understand my skill set and know what I’m capable of. You sound like a smart man, so I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt. Liam Neeson said it best; what I do have are a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my father go now, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you.” 

“I want you to understand something, little girl.” He was obviously angry. “I know of your reputation. I know everything about you. I’m not the typical type of scum you’ve dealt with before. I’m something you are _not_ ready for. There is nothing you’ve faced in your meager existence that can compare to me. I am-,”

 “No!” Neo snapped, leaning down to the phone. “ _You_ need to listen to me. You are seriously trying my fucking patience, ass-hat. You want me for something. Something that you can’t find anywhere else. Given that there ain’t but one thing – ONE _thing_ – I do better than anyone else, that fucking says something. And given _that_ , pissing me off and getting on my fucking bad side is the worst mistake you will _ever_ make.”

“You’re killing your father. I hope you understand that.” 

“I’d say he dies, you die, but you can’t stop that, now. I already know where you are and I aim to come and ruin your fuckin’ day. The only difference is, now, if he dies, you die _slow_.”

“I’m terrified.”

“Damn right you are. I can hear it in your voice.” Neo said to him. “You sent one of your boys to _my_ house and threatened _my_ father. That is _not_ okay with me. No one, and I mean _no one,_ threatens my friends and family. I don’t know who you are and frankly, I don’t give a shit. If you’re a vampire, I would have been perfectly happy with you movin’ on and fuckin’ with another town. But you had to come here and you had to get in my face. I wasn’t even lookin’ for you. But motherfucker, now you got my _full_ attention.”

“I don’t fear you, girl,” he returned. “You are nothing to me.”

“Yeah. Heard that before.”

“How many of those that had spoken such words actually meant them?”

“Oh, I’d imagine all of the people that said that shit meant it at the time. Right up until I showed ‘em all those pieces of themselves. Then you could see they were pretty fuckin’ scared. Could also hear it in how loud they were screaming when I set ‘em all on fire.”

“Challenge accepted,” he said to her. “My name is Acheron. Take your own advice and ask around.”

“I don’t need to,” Neo said to him. “I’ve heard of you. You were a cannoneer of the Ottoman Empire under Suleiman the second. You got turned October of 1529 by Kane. Took the name Acheron because…you know, I got no fuckin’ clue why. Probably because you thought it sounded cool.” She shook her head. “But yeah, I know you. And I couldn’t care less. I’ve killed vampires older and stronger than you.”

“Then come and get me,” he said to her.

“Planned on it, shit head.” She lifted the phone and crushed it in her hand. “God, he was pissing me off.” She looked at Cerri. “Please tell me Rite has people in play.”

“Steele’s getting briefed as we speak.” Cerri offered her. “Shelby and Max are handling something for a friend of Alexia’s. Rite has a fix on your dad’s low-jack.”

“Here’s to hoping they don’t turn him. If dad becomes a vampire, that’s gonna be a hell of a blow to the hunter community.”

“Steele already said if it comes to that, she’ll do him.” Cerri returned. “Her words, not mine.”

“Steele’s a good chick. She knows what’s up. I’ll let it rest with her. We figure out where this asshole was?” Neo asked. “I’m itchin’ to introduce his face to his colon.”

Cerri smiled and tapped a few keys. “Have I ever let you down?” She brought up a map of Sunnydale and centered on an old two-story in the historic district. “There.”

Neo looked at it. She patted the girl’s shoulder. “No, squirt, you haven’t.” She eyed the building on street view. “Can we get blueprints and city municipals?”

“Working on it. Might take some time. Hopefully, they’ve digitized them. If not, we might have to actually hit the city recorder’s office and look them up manually.”

“Let me know, kiddo,” Neo said, standing to her full height. “I’m gonna go take a shower. Gotta get ready for tonight.” She clapped her hands. “Gonna be fun.”

Cerri watched her leave the van and chuckled. Acheron had no idea what he was in for.


	75. Chapter 75

Steele pulled onto Pacific Avenue and turned south. She tapped the button on the rearview mirror. “Cerridwen,” she said as she shifted gears. She grinned at the sound of the high-performance Ford V-8. Yes, there were times when she felt twinges of regret giving up her Lamborghini but they were few and far between and gone quickly when they arose. It was expensive to maintain, got absolutely _horrible_ gas mileage, and the insurance was a _bitch_. The speed was fantastic but she’d learned since purchasing the Eliminator, that the old school Mercury was nearly as fast. It didn’t quite have the top speed but it was more comfortable and a far better fit for her tall frame. Having to fold herself in and out of the Lambo, especially when her knee was bad was a nightmare.

“Hey, grandma.” Cerri’s voice belted from the car’s sound system.

“Just because you’re like, six,” Steele responded.

“I’m not six. I’m fourteen, you geezer!” Cerri shot back, indignant. “You’re just old.”

“Try telling that to my doctor,” Steele offered.

Being one of the few people that had actually seen Steele’s complete medical history, she knew exactly what the woman was getting at. “Fair point. What’s up?”

“I just wanted to let you know that I’m on my way down.”

“How long do you think it’s gonna take you? We aren’t sure how long Neo’s dad has.”

“He’s a tough old bastard. He’ll be able to hold out until I get there. Should only take me two hours, tops,” Steele said, grinning.

“That’s nearly six hundred miles an hour. I know your Cougar is fast but _Jesus_ ,” Cerri said, dumbfounded.

“I’m not driving. I made alternative arrangements.”

“What, are you flying? I thought Kat was-,”

Steele cut her off. “Friends in high places. Don’t worry about it. I’ll get there. Trust in Granny Badness.”

Cerri chuckled. “Just get here when you can.”

“I’m droppin’ the hammer,” Steele said before ending the call. She pushed the pedal to the floor, racing through traffic. It took her less than twenty minutes to get to the front gates of Joint Base Lewis McChord. She pulled her Department of Defense ID and showed it to the uniform at the front gate. “I’m here for a priority flight to Sunnydale Municipal Airport. Captain Amanda Rollins is expecting me.”

The soldier took her card and gave her a nod. “Just one moment, ma’am.” He stepped back into his booth and lifted the phone. A few seconds later, he hung up and stepped back out. “Here you are, ma’am. You’re clear. Have a good flight.”

“Thanks,” she said, tucking her wallet back into her pocket. She pulled through the gate and sped off toward the far end of the tarmac. She beamed as she saw the small plane sitting outside the hangar. She raced toward it, careful to keep clear of the ground vehicles. At this time of day, there was quite a bit of activity.

She eased her car to the side and climbed out. She had just opened the trunk when Amanda walked up to her. She was a tall woman with a head of shoulder-length chocolate brown hair, standing barely a finger’s width below six feet. Her waist was trim and her legs were long. And Steele knew from personal experience just how good those legs looked outside of a flight suit. She looked into Amanda’s bright green eyes and saw them full of the same mirth that had drawn her to the woman. As the pilot approached, Steele had to admit that she cut a rather dashing figure in her uniform. “Hey, Amanda,” Steele said, returning the woman’s grin.

“Steele.” She moved up and gave the redhead a kiss on the cheek. “Lookin’ good. Last time I saw you, you were halfway into a painkiller coma.”

“Yeah, I had surgery on the knee,” She said, tapping the side of her left leg. “She’s good as new. Gets a bit achy in the cold but then again, I’ve got about three pounds of titanium in there, so that’s to be expected.”

Amanda knelt and lifted Steele’s pant leg. “Oh yeah. This looks a lot better.” She ran her fingers along the woman’s knee and thigh. She looked up at the slayer with a sinister grin. “Still hard as a fuckin’ rock.”

“Yeah…lot’s changed since the last time we talked,” Steele bit her lip nervously. 

Amanda sighed and rose to her feet. “I keep up with the website. You got a couple of full-time sweethearts now.” She turned and headed back to the plane. “That’s a shame.” She added a bit of a pop to her hips.

“It’s an open relationship!” Steele shouted after the brunette aviator. Amanda reached back and swatted her own butt as she kept walking. Groaning, Steele began changing into the flight suit she kept her trunk.

After stowing her limited amount of gear, Steele squeezed into the rear seat of the F-15. She pulled the helmet on and strapped in. “I gotta admit, I never thought I’d be in one of these.”

Amanda went through the pre-flight checks with practiced efficiency. “Website says you guys own a few planes.”

“Yeah. A Gulfstream and a C-130. Kat also owns the Cessna she learned to fly in and a P51 replica.” She looked around the cockpit. “Yeah, this is a hell of a change from the flight decks of the shit we fly.”

Amanda chuckled as she went through her list. “Gonna be a hell of a lot faster, too.” After a few more seconds, she turned her head to the side. “You all strapped in back there?”

“Yep,” Steele offered, checking the belts holding her in.

Amanda nodded and cleared her takeoff with the tower. The plane’s engines began to whine as they spun up. “Hope you had a small lunch. Time to fly.” She throttled up rapidly. The jet shot forward, slamming the elder slayer back in her seat. Soon they were in the air, streaking south. “You alright back there?” Amanda asked.

“Felt like an elephant stepped on my fucking chest,” Steele returned, rubbing her sternum.

“Yeah, we pulled about seven G’s. I went easy on you.” She flipped a few switches. “We’ve got a bit of time.”

“How fast are we going?” Steele asked her.

“About four hundred and ninety-five knots,” the pilot responded.

“Five hundred and seventy miles an hour.” Steele quickly converted the numbers in her head. “So we’ve got about two hours.”

“Yup,” Amanda said. “So when the hell did you get domesticated?”

Steele sighed. “You’re not gonna believe this.” She chuckled. “It all started when I banged the shit out of this little blonde vampire girl…”

           

Neo leaned against the fender of the Impala Police Cruiser with her arms crossed. Cerri had told her _when_ Steele would be arriving, but she never said in _what_. Given the small nature of the Airport, she was expecting the Point Defiance crew’s Gulfstream piloted by a temp of some sort. What she was most definitely _not_ expecting was the sleek profile of one of America’s finest tactical fighter planes. At first, she simply watched as it raced overhead, banked, and touched down with practiced ease. It wasn’t until the jet pulled around and taxied to where she was parked that she realized the truth. She grinned widely as the canopy cycled open and the pair of women in the cockpit lifted their helmets. “Now _that_ is a fucking entrance,” she said, pushing away from the car.

Steele shook her head to free her hair. “That was fun.”

“You should be in this thing when I _really_ let her go. Strip the nipples off your titties,” Amanda responded.

The pair climbed out of the plane, helmets in hand. Steele stepped over to Neo. “Hey, kiddo,” she said, offering her hand. “Lookin’ good. You were in pretty rough shape last I saw you. Time in England did you good.”

Neo took it, nodding. “Yeah. Got my mope on for a bit but Quentin um, he really pulled through. Got me out of it and back up to fighting weight.” She then looked to the brunette pilot. “Who’s this?”

“Captain Amanda Rollins,” the woman answered. “It’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Neo likewise shook her hand. “Honored to meet you, sir. Got nothin’ but respect for those that serve.” She nodded to the plane. “And can’t say I ain’t a bit jealous.” She then thumbed back to the Impala. “Your company car is _so_ much cooler than mine.”

Amanda chuckled. “I wasn’t gonna say anything.” She turned back to Steele. “It was nice seeing you again.” She stepped up and kissed the woman lightly on the lips. “Just because we ain’t gonna be fuck buddies doesn’t mean you can’t say hi once in a while.”

“Fair enough. Thanks for the lift. And thanks for taking the time,” Steele responded.

“No problem. I’ll see you later. It was nice meeting you, Neo. Keep our lady out of trouble.”

Neo snorted. “Shit,” she drew the word out. “You are _seriously_ taskin’ the wrong woman with that shit.”

“Figured.” Amanda swatted the pair on the shoulder before heading to the terminal.

Steele quickly gathered her gear and, with Neo’s help, got it into the trunk of the car. “Decided the keep the love alive for old Patrol cars, huh?” The elder slayer said as she looked around the interior of the Chevy.

Neo shrugged as she pulled away from the airport and headed toward their makeshift HQ. “Just kinda happened, actually. We were cruising Craigslist looking for something disposable and found this for a song. Had good luck with them in the past and figured why not?”

“Sounds like a three-point-nine,” Steele said, tilting her ear to hear the engine.

“Yeah. V-6. Two hundred and forty ponies or thereabouts from what Quan says. I wouldn’t really know. I’m not the car geeks the rest of you seem to be.”

Steele looked at the girl. “I’m gonna get him back for you, Neo.”

The potential returned her gaze. “I trust you, Steele. I don’t think I would let it sit in anyone else’s hands but yours.”

Steele was gob-smacked. To know that Neo trusted her _that_ much was incredible. “I’m gonna do my best not to let you down.”

“I know,” Neo said, turning back to the road. “But I just want it thrown out there-,”

“Yeah, yeah. Come home with him or don’t come home at all,” Steele said. “I’ve heard the speech before.”

“No. That isn’t what I was gonna say at all.” She turned to the woman. “Don’t risk your ass if you don’t have to. If you don’t think you can pull it off, back off. I love my dad and I want him back but…” She sighed heavily. “I’m not gonna lose a friend for him. He’s there because he fucked up. He’s been in this business almost as long as you have. He should have known better.”

“We’ve all been caught off guard, squirt. Even you. And you’re supposedly the most terrifying player in the game,” Steele said. She did her level best to keep any jealousy or bitterness from her tone. Deep down, it actually galled her to no end that Neo’s name was spoken with such fear and awe. She, herself had been tormenting the supernatural community for nearly four decades and even she didn’t command the kind of respect that Neo did. The worst part of it was she knew _why_. She was efficient. She took monsters out as if she was swatting flies. She was quick, clean, and methodical. Her body count was the stuff of legend.

But Neo was just…she was a different beast altogether. The levels of depravity she often displayed were something that Steele not only couldn’t touch but _wouldn’t_. To Steele, what Neo did was reckless slaughter for no other reason than drawing attention to herself. At the end of the day, however, she saw the need for it. Not having the powers of a slayer, Neo had nothing _but_ a reputation. And she used what she had to devastating degrees.

If Neo was bothered by Steele’s tone, she didn’t show it. “Yeah, I know. Tillamook proved that. Got caught with my hunter down. Made the fuckers pay for it, though. Also why I don’t work alone. Everyone talks about how dangerous _I am_ but they fail to mention the rest of the team. I’d have been dead a long time ago if not for my girls.”

“Yeah, I’m starting to learn the value of teamwork, myself,” Steele offered.

The pair pulled up to the out of the way warehouse and into the bay. The door squealed as it lowered. They stepped out and Steele was greeted warmly by the rest of the band.

Cerri didn’t waste any time getting her brought up to speed. “Rite found old blueprints of the building Edgar’s being held in.” She brought them up on the screen. “We also managed to do a thorough flyby with our drone,”

“You guys have a drone?” Steele asked with a raised eyebrow. At Cerri’s ‘duh’ expression, she chuckled. “Of course, you do. You were saying?”

“We did a flyby and counted about a dozen vamps. Could be more, but we’re not banking on it. Should be prepared though, just in case.”

“I packed light but I got enough firepower to do the job,” Steele said, studying the schematics. “Learned the hard way that just because it’s daylight, doesn’t mean they’re asleep.”

Neo stood beside her, arms crossed over her chest. “What are you gonna do?”

“I’m kinda wondering why you lot ain’t handling this,” Steele said, running her fingers through her thick red hair. “I mean, you more than got the skills.”

“Acheron is watching us. He’s watching _me_. The way I figure it, he’s to thinkin’ we brought you in for backup. He doesn’t know that you’re here to get my dad. He sees any of us, especially me heading out there and dad’s as good as dead. He’ll pull the trigger just to piss me off.”

“That’d be a fuckin’ mistake and a half,” Steele said with a snort.

“Yeah but he doesn’t know that. And I don’t want dad payin’ the price for it. So we’re sending you to get dad. Once you’re in place, we’ll load up for bear and go get this motherfucker while you extract him. Figure it won’t take you long on account of this bein’ old hat for you.”

Steele nodded. “Seems legit.” She looked at the twins. “What about you two? What do you think?”

The pair were stunned a moment before they turned to look at each other. Neither said a word as they simply stared into one another’s eyes.

Steele sighed. “It’s kinda creepy when they do that. Lexi and her sister do that same shit.”

“So does Lexi, Kat, and Faith. You ever noticed that?” Neo asked.

“That’s because Kat can actually use telepathy,” Cerri said as she kept working.

The twins finally nodded to each other and turned back to Steele. “What kind of hardware are you using?” Sadiira asked her.

Steele moved to her bag and opened it. “There’s a pretty good array of cover all around the place so I’ll up close and personal with this.” She lifted the Heckler and Koch MP5SD3 submachine gun. “Knees, shoulders, arms, shit like that. Then I’ll take heads with these,” she motioned to a pair of large kukri knives on a belt. “Since I ain’t all fucked up like I used to be, I can do a little dance, make a little love, and properly get down tonight.”

“Christ,” Neo said, shaking her head. “You are as old as _shit_.”

Steele swatted the teen on the back. “Yeah, I’m a GILF.”

 


	76. Chapter 76

Steele trotted through the brush and quickly climbed the small hillock. She dropped to the ground and commando crawled the last few yards. She pulled her binoculars as she crested the top of the mound. She lifted them to her eyes and inspected the building and its immediate surroundings.

The structure was a squat, square affair with a handful of floors. It was obvious that it has long been abandoned. “Perfect place for a nest,” she said, off-hand. She could see a few shadows in the broken out windows. Due to the sun still being up, she wasn’t worried about any vampires moving around in the daylight.

She put her binoculars away and shrugged the silenced submachine gun from her shoulder.

“That won’t work.” A hushed voice called from a few yards back.

Steele spun toward the newest arrival, snatching her magnum from her right holster. The massive handgun was cocked and ready. “Credit where credit is due, not a lot of people got the chops to sneak up on me.”

He stopped directly in front of her pistol. He was well built, if not a bit stocky. His eyes carried an edge that she’d learned was common to all that fought the supernatural for a living. His head was covered with a camouflage do-rag. He was decked out much like she was; black body armor, assault vest, fatigue pants, and combat boots. His arms were bare and rippled as he walked. Beside him walked a girl in her late teens or early twenties. It was obvious they were related. She had the same exact eyes. Where he was squat and thick, she was lithe and toned. She moved with the grace of a dancer. Her raven black hair was pulled back in a short ponytail. She was clad in the same garb and carried an expensive repeating crossbow in her hands. She narrowed her eyes as she stared at Steele. Her arms trembled as she clutched the crossbow. In the girl’s expression, the elder slayer saw the threat. If she squeezed the trigger, he’d be dead but she’d taste a bolt for her efforts.

He lifted his hand and pushed the gun down. “Relax. If we wanted you dead, we wouldn’t have gotten this close.”

She flicked her eyes again to the girl and nodded, lowering the gun. “Who the fuck are you two?” She asked him.

“A concerned third party,” he said to her. “We’ve got a vested interest in getting the man that’s being kept in that building out safe.”

Steele stared at him a moment. It took her a moment. “Holy shit,” she said, smiling. “You’re Alan, Edgar’s brother.”

“You’re Steele Payne,” he said. “This is my daughter, Angela.”

“Pleased, I’m sure,” Angela said, turning from the pair of them and moving up to the hill, dropping to her knees. She pulled her binoculars up and checked over the building. “Did you get an accurate count?”

Alan and Steele both looked at the girl. Angela turned to Steele. “Earth to Steele. Did you get an accurate count?”

“Not yet. I was just gonna start taking them out.” She again moved to the crest and took stock.

“Guns don’t do shit against vampires,” Alan said. “You’re just going to make noise and attract them all.”

“Watch and learn, junior,” Steele said moving in a fast crouching trot. She kept the weapon up to her shoulder. “Comin’ or not?”

Angela and Alan looked at each other and followed after her. “Who is she?” Angela asked him.

“A Slayer,” Alan said. He looked at his daughter. “ _The_ Slayer.”

Angela looked the woman over as they moved along behind her. “Is she the one that got screwed up in Santa Carla when you and Uncle Edgar were kids?”

“That’s her,” Alan said. “She was coming to help us with Max. His boys found out she was staying in a hotel and jumped her when she was asleep. Not really sure what they did to her-,”

“Dislocated and split my left kneecap. Tore all of the ligaments, shattered my femur and broke my both my tibia and fibula in six places.” Steele offered as she trotted. “Took me until last year to get the damage fixed. I’ve got a titanium knee joint now.”

“Christ. Bet that hurt,” Angela said, shaking her head.

“Wasn’t fun, believe me, kid.” Steele stopped and crouched behind a bush. “We get any closer, they’re gonna spot us.” She growled and looked around. “Satellite looked like there was a lot more cover.”

She looked up at the windows. “What do you make that distance to be?”

“Sixty, seventy yards, give or take a couple,” Alan said. He looked at her MP5. “Can you make that shot?”

Steele got to one knee, extended the stock and put the gun to her shoulder. “One way to find out.” She closed her left eye and sighted down the barrel. She quietly thanked the Powers That Be for her enhanced slayer sight. She let out a breath and squeezed the trigger. The silenced weapon offered a muffled crack as the bullet punched into the vampire’s chest, just left of center. The cross-etched bullet burned and ripped through the vampire’s heart, quickly burning it to nothing. He dropped from view in a cloud of ash. Steele was on to the second sentry as the first disappeared. She again depressed the trigger. Another demon disintegrated. She rose to her feet. “Time to get some.” She sprinted to the front of the building.

Alan and Angela followed close behind.

 

Neo paced back and forth behind Cerridwen. She was decked out in her hunter gear, waiting for word from Steele confirming she’d extracted her father. Yes, she talked big about not giving a shit whether he lived or died but the truth was she was nervous as hell. She prayed to any God that would listen that he be made it out alright. She was going to make Acheron pay for daring to kidnap her father. “Come on, Steele,” she said.

“She’s on her way into the building now,” Cerri said. “You’ll never believe who she has backing her up.”

Neo frowned and moved over to the monitors. “Did Rite send someone else down from Point D?”

“Nope,” Cerri said, shaking her head. “Let’s just say family watches out for the family.” She brought up two pictures. “Look familiar?”

Neo’s eyes grew wide. “Uncle Alan?” She said, reaching out and touching the screen. “I haven’t seen him since dad gave me to Reggie.” She then flicked her eyes to the teenage girl. It took her a second before she recognized the girl. “Holy shit,” she said, smiling. “That’s cousin Angela.”

“Were you two close?” Cerri asked her.

“No. She’s a year younger than me. When Alan came over, he’d bring her. We’d play a little bit, but…” She chuckled. “She definitely looks born again hard.”

“She’s got your eyes,” Cerri offered. “They’re helping Steele recover your dad.”

Neo nodded. “He’s as good as rescued. Uncle Alan is no joke.” She smiled. “Gonna be nice to see him and Angie again.”

“Looking forward to meeting them,” Cerri said, turning back to monitor the trio.

 

Steele, Alan, and Angela moved through the building like ghosts. The elder slayer was thankful that they knew how to be quiet. The pair moved with practiced skill. They kept to cover, dispatched vampires with calm, cool efficiency.

They wound their way downward, knowing full well that Edgar would be kept in the basement. They descended into what looked like an old morgue. Steele swept her gun this way and that, taking in everything about the room. “I can feel a larger group of vamps through there,” she said, pointing to what looked to be a fire door. “Chances are good that’s where he’ll be.”

Alan nodded and began walking that way.

“Stop!” Angela snapped, moving up beside him. “Don’t move.” 

Alan immediately looked at her, an eyebrow raised. She cocked her head, staring at him with an expression of disappointment. She then pointed to her eyes and the floor roughly six inches from his foot. He looked down and sighed as he saw the nearly invisible tripwire. “Christ. How did I miss that?” He stepped over it and followed its route.

Steele stepped over to the cold storage unit that the line was tied to. She concentrated and felt the presence of the undead inside the locker. She held a finger up and pointed. As the two of them readied their weapons, she shook her head. They looked on curiously as she pulled a small black cylinder from her vest. It had a pin like a grenade but was somewhat larger. She pulled the pin and stood a moment, counting off the seconds. She then quickly ripped the door open, tossed the device inside and slammed it closed. A grunt of surprise accompanied the action.

A heartbeat later, a loud _crack_ sounded from inside the locker. The room was immediately filled with the stench of sulfur and burned flesh. A sharp, short scream rent the air before it was mercifully silenced.

“The fuck was that?” Alan asked her.

She grinned widely. “White phosphorous grenade.” She pointed to the door. “I’ll take point. You two come in staggered and cover me.”

“He’s my brother. I’m taking-,” Alan began to proclaim.

“Slayer,” she said, tapping her chest. “Squishy humans.” She pointed to the pair of them. “Room of vampires.” She shook her head. “Don’t argue.”

“You know-,” Alan stepped up to her. He stopped when he felt his daughter’s hand on his arm.

“No, she’s right, dad. She’s been doing this a long time. And she’s a hell of a lot tougher than either of us.” Angela looked at Steele. “Besides that, she’s an excellent meat shield.”

Alan sighed and returned his gaze to Steele. “Lead the way,” he said, motioning to the door.

Steele nodded and slung her SMG. She then pulled her Desert Eagles from the butterfly harness on her back. “No explanation will matter after we begin. Unlock the dark destroyer that's buried within. My true vocation, and now my unfortunate friend, you will discover a war you're unable to win,” she said, lifting her guns.

Angela grinned. “I'll have you know, that I've become indestructible. A determination that is incorruptible. From the other side, a terror to behold. Annihilation will be unavoidable.”

Steele looked at the girl with a wide smile. “You’re Goddamn right.” She turned and quickly put her boot to the door. The metal yielded to her kick, flying away from its moorings. It slammed to the floor and slid across the stone.

Time slowed to a crawl for the experienced slayer. She entered the room, both pistols at the ready. He gaze swept over the space, taking in every nuance, every detail. She quickly counted a dozen vampires occupying the large chamber. Her weapons went to work. Each bullet pierced a vampire’s heart, taking them from the fight. The rapid _boom-boom-boom_ of her Desert Eagles echoed off of the masonry walls.

Alan and Angela both entered the room behind her in a crouching trot. Alan quickly looked about for his brother while Angela began firing her crossbow. It was an implement she’d been using since she was old enough to walk.

Alan pulled his heavy black brush knife and waded in. He swung like he was scything wheatgrass. He hacked at the vampires with no real rhyme or reason. His right hand shot out, gripping a vampire’s throat. He snarled as he lifted the undead denizen from the floor. Steele stole occasional glances at him as she fired. The elder slayer was rather surprised. The man’s arm didn’t so much as tremble. He hurled his victim back toward his daughter without a look. The girl fired an arrow through his chest, dusting him quickly. Steele grinned. It was obvious where Neo had gotten her innate brutality from.

Edgar Frog heard the huge crash as the door flew free. He recognized the thunderclap of the Action Express heavy pistol. He smiled and lifted his head. Through his badly swollen eyes, he saw a blur of activity. “Told you,” he said to the aged vampire to his right. “Should have killed me when you had the chance.”

The undead beast growled and backhanded Edgar with all his strength. The hunter was thrown, chair and all to the ground. He landed with an audible thump. “This ends _now_!” The vampire shouted. “STOP!” He roared.

Everyone in the room stopped in their tracks. Of the twelve vampires, four remained. Alan squinted his eyes to see Edgar lying on the floor. “Edgar!” He shouted, rushing forward. He slid to a stop as the vampire put his booted foot atop the elder Frog’s head.

“One more step and I crush his skull like an overripe melon.”

Angela immediately took a knee, drawing a bead on him. Steele knew the girl’s aim was impeccable. “You so much as twitch and I’ll snatch the demon right out of you.”

“Drop the weapons,” He snarled. “I won’t ask twice.”

Steele stepped forward and pointed her pistol at him. “Do it,” she said to him. “Kill him. Stomp his fucking lights out. Go right ahead.” This drew looks of shock and anger from both Alan and Angela. She looked at both of them. “Oh, fuck you both,” she said, shaking her head. “We all knew the risks when we checked ourselves into this box. Shit happens. Getting dead is an inevitability. This is the world we live in and these are the hands we’re given.” She looked back to the vampire. “But you gotta understand something, hoss. We’re here for him. We ain’t here for you. You back off and let him go, you get to walk away. You get one chance – _one_ – to save your sorry ass. You and the rest of these shit heels can hit the bricks. You already beat the fuck out of him. We’ve taken, what is it?” She looked at the other two hunters. “Eighteen, nineteen of these motherfuckers so far?” She shrugged. “We’ve claimed a lot of your boys as compensation for roughing him up. So far you ain’t done nothin’ that won’t heal.” She turned, so her gun was aimed true. “But if I get to three and you don’t get that fuckin’ boot off his head, well, the kid here said it best. We’ll snatch the life right out of you.” Her grip tightened. “Your call.”

“Do you really think you can-?” He began to ask. A bullet punched into his left eye. He spun to the ground as the back of his skull blew out.

“Three,” Steele said.

Angela, in one sweeping motion, unloaded four bolts in the remaining vampires. 

“He’s yours, kiddo,” Steele said as she pointed to the blinded vamp. “Have fun.”

Alan was beside his brother in a heartbeat. “I got you, Ed.” He helped the man up.

“Wasn’t expecting you,” Edgar said past his swollen lips. “Was expecting Alice.”

“She sends her love,” Steele said as she stepped up, reloading her pistols. She then tapped her earpiece. “Yeah, we got him.”

Cerri nodded. “Alright. I’ll let her know.” The girl turned and looked to Neo. “They’ve got your dad.”

Neo stretched her arms skyward and looked back at Cerri. “It’s showtime.” 


	77. Chapter 77

Neo popped her knuckles one by one before she slid her reinforced gloves over her calloused hands. She was ready to get the fight started. “Twenty-six vampires,” she said to no one in particular. That was the count Cerri had given her. It would be just enough to slake her anger. She watched the city fly past as the Impala raced through the streets.

Quan said nothing from her position behind the wheel. She knew Neo was in the zone. When the action started, the best she and the twins could do was keep the monsters off the burly potential’s back and stay the hell out of her way.

Neo for her part was laser-focused on what she was about to do. Twice before had a vampire dared to come into her house and harm some of her own. First Heidenreich, then Dracula…now, this. She was beyond enraged. There were no words to describe how furious she was. What Heidenreich did to Cerridwen and what Dracula had done to Talia and Rain was still open wounds upon Neo Knight’s very soul. In the case of Heidenreich, it was true that Quan was torn up over the event, as was her right. Quan loved Cerri like no other. Her heart bled at the sight of the younger hunter lying in her hospital bed, her arm in a cast from shoulder to fingers. Quan cried herself hoarse. 

But Neo took Cerri getting hurt as a personal failure. She didn’t blame Heidenreich for doing as he did to Cerridwen. He was only doing as his filthy breed did. He was a fairly powerful vampire doing powerful vampire shit. Neo saw it as her fault because she _allowed_ it to happen. She’d shared how she felt with Cerri and, as she had predicted, the tiny drummer thought she was being silly.

And she knew the girl was right. So, deep down, she was able to slowly forgive herself.

Dracula, however, was an entirely different story. He had taken Talia and Rain and nearly killed them _because_ of her. He did it with the expressed intention of drawing her out. He wanted a confrontation with her. And he had most assuredly gotten it. He was not ready for what he received. Both she and he knew that Neo would have ended him permanently. Chances were good that she would have died in the process but that was a sacrifice she was more than willing to make. And that fact was what sent Dracula packing. She’d made her point.

And now again. Her reputation had put someone she cared about at risk. They’d gone after her father. While she sadly had to admit that she didn’t feel the same for her father as she did for her girls, she did still love him. And she was going seek bloody and terrible retribution against the vampire that had put all of this in motion. “Oh son of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall she be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us. Happy shall she be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones,” Neo said softly.

Quan frowned and looked at her. “The fuck was that?”

“Psalm, One thirty-seven, verse eight and nine,” Neo responded. “Paraphrased a touch, but sound none the less.”

“Keep forgetting that you actually read the bible,” Quan said, chuckling.

Neo shrugged. “Lotta seriously metal shit in the bible.” She sighed heavily. “When are motherfuckers gonna learn, Quan?” She turned her eyes to the big woman. “Seriously? I’ve got a rep. It’s pretty common fucking knowledge at this point what I do to people that fuck with my stuff. So why do they do it? Do they think it’s just a big fucking joke?”

“Always a bigger fish, Neo,” Quan said to her. “At least that’s what this son of a bitch thinks. Yeah, most of the shit we run into is freaked out by you. But every once in awhile there’s gonna be a new challenger. There’s always someone that wants the belt.”

Neo turned back to the scenery. “Then challenge me all you fuckin’ want. But quit fuckin’ with my friends and my family. Shit’s gettin’ old.”

“You need to send a darker message.” Nadiira offered from the backseat. “You’ve always been brutal. But now you need to be apocalyptic.”

Neo slowly nodded. “He has bent his bow like an enemy; He has set his right hand like an adversary and slain all that were pleasant to the eye; in the tent of the daughter of Zion He has poured out his wrath like fire.”

“What’s with you being all biblical all of a sudden?” Quan asked her. Neo just turned and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “And I looked, and beheld a pale horse: and the name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him.”

Neo slowly shook her head. “No. Not today. Hell needs to stay the fuck back. It’d just get in my fucking way.”

The twins chuckled but Quan looked on at Neo with concern. Normally the girl would be chomping at the bit to get down to it. She’d be fidgeting and anxious. That Neo was so calm was frankly starting to freak her out. _I’ve never seen her this angry_ , the tattooed martial artist said to herself. “Be careful Neo,” she said out of the blue. The potential narrowed her eyes. “I mean it. I don’t want you-,”

“Don’t,” Neo said, cutting her off. “Not here. Not right now. Please, Quan. Just leave it alone.”

“I don’t like how calm you are.”

“Front.” She turned to the larger hunter. “Eye of the storm.”

“Figured,” Quan said as they pulled up to the large abandoned manor house. “Just don’t get dead. I don’t wanna have to explain shit to Talia and Rain.”

“I’m not gonna die,” Neo said. “Not today. God doesn’t want me in heaven this pissed off.” She opened the door and stepped out. The hot summer sun beat down on her. She’d forgone the assault vest she normally wore. She was clad only in the high impact body armor over her black sports bra. Her knotted arms were bare, save for the silver capped and cross-covered elbow pads. Her black cargo pants likewise sported matching knee pads of the same design. Lastly, she had on the special boots she’d received while in England. Knowing her team was right behind her, Neo wasted no time in walking right up to the front door of the mansion.

Quan, dressed in a pair of bike shorts and a sports bra followed closely behind. Her fists were gloved in the same manner as Neo’s and she had her feet taped as well but wore no shoes. The crosses tattooed on both feet were deadly to the undead.

The twins were both armored to the gills and armed to the teeth. Knowing they would be in close-quarters, they’d both settled on Saiga 12 gauge shotguns. They’d both removed the buttstock to make them a little easier to maneuver. The 30 round drums filled with phosphorous gel rounds insured that they had more than enough firepower to get the job done.

Neo trotted up the stairs and planted her right boot into the heavy oaken door. The wood yielded to her strength flying away in a hail of debris. “I thought I’d just let myself in,” she said, entering the house. “Anyone home?”

She didn’t have to wait long. From across the foyer, two young vampires rushed toward her. Their faces were twisted and hissing. She responded with practiced skill and barely contained fury. Her right cross smashed into the first vampire’s face. His cheek shattered, his jaw slid sideways, painfully. He spun to the ground, dazed. His companion leaped, his hands outstretched to close around her throat. As her punch finished its arc, she continued to turn. Her left foot came around, catching the vampire in the shoulder. His momentum shifted and he flew to the side, smacking into the wall with enough force to crack the plaster. The demon slid to the floor. Neo moved past the pair, giving them both no more thought.

Quan smiled at them as they lay on the ground groaning. “Pardon me,” she said, sweetly.

The twins both leveled their guns and fired a round each into the beasts’ skulls, ending them.

Neo stopped in the middle of the living room and looked around. “You wanted me, motherfucker!” She shouted at the top of her lungs. “Well, here I am! One at a time or all at once, don’t make a damn bit of difference to me! Y’all gonna die just the same!”

Footsteps could be heard all over the house. “Game time,” Neo said, happily. She reached down and lifted the old coffee table from the floor and turned, hurling it toward the large boarded up window. The wood smashed outward, forming a large square of sunlight. The twins both took shelter in the light, readying their weapons. Quan sidled up behind Neo, back to back. “I hope this is what you wanted.”

Neo didn’t answer. She just smiled and let the promise of combat wash her cool. A rush of undead flowed from the entrances of the room. Neo exploded into motion. She let her rage fill her and give her the focus she needed. Her fists were like sledgehammers, her feet like pile drivers. Each vampire that challenged her was beaten down mercilessly. She took punches to the face, fists to the body and kicks to her legs. Pain shot through her with every impact. But they did nothing to pull the devilish smile from her lips.

She felt a hand wrap about her throat. She snarled and drove her thumb deep into the vampire’s eye. He squeezed harder, trying to ignore the pain. She growled and pulled the knife from the back of her belt and shoved it into the crook of his elbow. His grip lessened immediately. As she dropped, she pushed the knife into his neck and ripped it forward. His head flopped back, being held in place with a tag of skin and no more. She punched his dome free with a hard right cross. He collapsed in a hail of dust. She was on to other prey before he had fully disintegrated.

The twins picked their targets carefully. Each bullet ended a vampire’s life. The rounds were doing what they were designed to do in all their brutal efficiency. Their job was to keep Neo free to mete out her vengeance. And at times like this, her fury was more than justified.

Quan kept back and just let her friend run riot over the undead menace. She often did so. Yes, she was bigger and had far, _far_ more fighting skills to draw on but she’d had to accept one unerring truth about her slightly smaller compatriot. Alice Frog was _stronger_ than she was. Neo had a natural raw physical power that was beyond what even the most gifted athletes – male or female – should even be capable of. And it showed now. She was lifting vampires bodily from the floor and hurling them against the walls or out into the sunlight. Some of which easily crested two bills.

Quan could accomplish the same feats…but only when she had her magical tats activated. But here, now, she saw little need for such things. Neo was a goddess among peasants as she destroyed everything that stood before her.

It was over quickly. None were left to challenge.

“There were only twenty-four in here.” Neo looked about the room. “There are two more.” She knelt and put her ear to the floor. For several seconds, she listened. “There’s a basement.” She turned to the twins. “Make me a door.”

The pair nodded and stood to opposite sides of the room. They loaded fresh drums into their shotguns and took aim at the floor. Sixty double-ought buck rounds blew the wood to shrapnel. As soon as their weapons clicked empty, Neo jumped, landing in the center of the ruined floorboards. The wood gave way immediately and the leader of Demon Queller disappeared into the darkness below.

Neo landed in a crouch and stood to her full height. She could see him standing in all of his supposed glory. His sculpted muscular chest was visible behind the open black button-down shirt. His legs were sheathed in a pair of black leather pants. His heavy black combat boots were a bit odd considering the rest of his attire but she didn’t really care. His mane of thick black hair framed a lean, chiseled face. Truth be told, he was a fairly good-looking man.

“You shouldn’t have-” he began.

“Gimme a sec,” Neo said. She then quickly snatched a steak from her belt and spun, whipping the wooden projectile through the air. A gorgeous young vampire woman staggered out from the shadows beneath the stairs then exploded into dust. “I’m sorry.” She turned back to him. “What were you about to say?” She enjoyed the look on his face. He stared at the pile of dust. It was obvious she was special to him in some way. She was about to ask him about her when she shook her head. “You know what, fuck it.” She clenched her fists and stalked toward him. “Why don’t I just kick your ass and kill you?”

He snarled and rushed at her. His fist collided hard with the side of her face. The impact nearly knocked her from her feet. He didn’t let up. Another blow arced in, smashing into her ribs. Her fingers gripped his wrist. She looked him in the eye, blood dripping from her mouth. She let fly with her own punch. Her reinforced glove drove into his cheek. She held onto his arm, not allowing him to reel back. She unloaded another shot, and another, and another. As Acheron staggered about, Neo pulled on his arm and slammed her's across his chest. He was hammered into the ground so hard that the foundation shook.

She dropped onto his chest, pinning his shoulders with her knees. She pulled her knife free and pressed it against his throat. “Just answer me one thing,” she said, staring into his eyes. “What did you want from me?”

He peered back at her. “I wanted you to kill someone for me.”

“Who?” She asked him.

“Doesn’t matter now,” he returned. “I’ve already lost my nest. I’ve lost my love. I have no reason to live any longer.”

“It matters to me. Who did you want dead?” She asked him, ignoring his lamentation.

“Spike,” Acheron said. “He kills his own kind. He deserves to die for it. Everyone I’ve sent has never-,” He was cut off as Neo quickly took his head.

“You could have just asked,” she said as she rose to her feet. “I’d have done it for free.”

 

Spike leaped to his feet, crossbow in hand, as the door of his crypt crashed open. “Oh, bloody hell,” he said, quickly putting the sarcophagus between him and the tall, powerfully built form of Neo. “What do you want?” He asked, keeping the crossbow aimed at her.

She stood, a large paper bag in her hand, staring at him. She lifted an eyebrow as she regarded the crossbow. She said nothing.

“The pain comes _after_ the attack, bint. I could still shoot you with this before I went down,” Spike explained.

She shook her head as she moved to the coffin and set the bag down on it. “That crossbow fires a bolt at three hundred and two feet per second. I could smack that shit out of the air in my sleep.” She pushed the bag over to him. “Here. And you’re welcome.”

He stood a moment before pulling the sack closer and looking inside. He saw what looked to be a pair of two-liter bottles filled with blood. “What is this?”

Neo lifted her arm, showing him the small bandage. “The girls donated to the cause. You can’t drink from humans. At least not directly from the tap. And I don’t see a lot of human types wanting to open a vein for you. Probably the only human blood you’re gonna get for a while so sip, don’t gulp.”

He looked her in the eye. “Why?” he asked her.

“Because I like you,” she said to him. She crossed her arms and leaned forward, resting on the sarcophagus. “You know a shit bird named Acheron?”

“Had dealings. Nothing significant. How do you know him?” he asked.

“He wanted me to kill you.” Neo grinned.

“And instead you bring me blood?” Spike asked. “I don’t get it.”

“He didn’t ask nicely. He tried kidnapping my dad to use as leverage.”

“That was stupid of him,” Spike said. He snorted. “You told him if he asked, you’d have done it for free, didn’t you?”

Neo nodded. “That’s what I told him, yeah.” She then shook her head. “But I wouldn’t have.”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t kill allies,” Neo said to him. “I don’t give a fuck what your reasons are. Everyone’s are different. But at the end of the day, we’re all on the front lines, trying to cull the herd. To stem the tide. Like it or not, you’re in the trenches, same as us.” She stood up. “Acheron wanted you dead because you have a rep.” She smiled like a skull. “I know a little something about that.” She slapped the top of the stone and pointed at him. “See you around, blondie.” She moved to the door.

“You do know that I’m gonna find a way to get rid of this chip, right?” Spike asked.

She stopped and turned to look at him. “You’re a smart vampire, Spike. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” She then blew a kiss to him. “And when you do? Guess whose gonna be out there, in the shadows waiting for you to make your grand return?” She gave him a wink and left the crypt.

Spike watched her go and slowly smiled. “I like her.” He took the jugs out and opened one, taking a long pull. He then gagged and hacked. “Bloody hell.” He stared at it and could see it had a somewhat oily consistency. He took a sniff and crumpled his nose. “Cheap Italian dressing? Really?” He growled and looked back to the door. He then grinned again. “That’s a good move. I _really_ like her.”

 


End file.
